Gadsden police arrest 4 in internet prostitution sting

The Gadsden Police Department’s Special Projects Team  arrested a number of men Thursday for soliciting sex online. Four men were arrested Thursday; officers expect to obtain warrants today against three more.

 The department put an ad on a website used by people to arrange the purchase of sexual acts and arrested the “johns” when they arrived to complete the transaction.

The ad was up for two days, and officers didn’t even answer calls the first day. Callers, male and female, would tell the undercover officer the type of sex act they wanted and named the price they would pay. The callers were instructed to come to a local hotel,  That allowed officers to use its premises to meet a paid companion.

When they arrived,  they found the undercover officers and members of the SPT.

The “johns” included a 66-year-old Riverside man; a 43-year-old Hokes Bluff man; a 66-year-old Gadsden man; and men aged 55, 63, 43 and 62, for whom addresses weren’t available.

 While officers were answering the phone line, they got two calls from a couple who engage in prostitution themselves, warning them to be careful, that “Gadsden’s hot right now,” in the policing of prostitutes.