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Wynn
Prostitution sting yields three arrests
By Dave Olson [email protected]
Front page - 07/10/2008 An unusual prostitution sting was held in Moorhead last week. A female police officer, posing as “Katie,” fielded phone calls responding to a newspaper advertisement. She met potential clients at a hotel and after a conversation with
each man, the officer asked for money. Then more officers entered the room. Court records spell out the details about the July 1 arrests of three men. One man asked for a “girlfriend experience.” Another requested straight sex while a third man said he was
lonely and wanted a hug. All three now face charges of misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution in Clay County District Court. The ad listed the name “Katie” and a phone number. According to court records, which were filed this week, the three men called a phone number for “Katie” after seeing an ad list
ing, placed by police investigators, in the adult entertainment section of The Forum classifieds. Eventually, each of the men talked to an undercover female officer and later met her in a room of a Moorhead motel. Police records don’t identify the hotel used in the sting.
The three arrested are identified in court records as Gary Allen McClaflin, 55, Tower City, N.D.; George Joseph Wynn, 57, Fargo; and Allan Edward Diede, 64, West Fargo. According to court records: In one case, a man called the undercover officer and asked about rates and whether they included touching. A male, later identified as McClaflin, showed up at the motel and asked the undercover officer whether she knew what “GFE” was, the court documents state. When she said no, McClaflin explained it meant treating him like her boyfriend. The officer asked McClaflin what he meant by that, and he said it included sex, kissing and touching, the court documents state.
The officer said it would cost $150, and McClaflin gave her that amount in cash, according to the court documents. When an investigator later interviewed McClaflin and asked him about “GFE,” he said it included sex but did not necessarily mean it had to be sex. In another case, someone who identified himself as “Al” spoke on the phone to an undercover officer posing as an exotic dancer and arranged a half-hour session for $80. A man later showed up at the motel and talked to the undercover officer, telling her he wanted oral sex before handing her $50. The man, identified in court
documents as Diede, agreed to talk to police without an attorney. When an investigator asked Diede what his intentions had been, “he stated he didn’t know if he wants to say that,” the court documents said. According to the documents, Diede also told the investigator he was just lonely and needed a hug. Both McClaflin and Diede expressed concern about the incidents showing up in the news, the court documents state. In the third case, someone calling from Wynn’s cell phone and identifying himself as George talked to the undercover officer and asked her whether she was “hot.” The caller also asked whether she was a cop and mentioned that police have held stings to arrest “johns.”
The man told the undercover officer, “if they are a cop, that they have to tell you,” the court documents state. The man set up an appointment, and some minutes later someone showed up at the motel. The man, identified in court documents as Wynn, asked the undercover officer whether her list of selections included full service. When she asked what he meant, Wynn replied something to the effect of, “You know what full-service is,” according to the court documents. The officer said full service for a half-hour would be $85, and Wynn agreed and paid her
the money. When the officer asked whether he wanted just straight sex, Wynn concurred he did, according to the court documents. Contacted by phone Wednesday, McClaflin and Diede declined to comment. A message left for Wynn was not returned. A call made Wednesday to the phone number in the adult entertainment ad was transferred to an answering machine. The sting was set up after Moorhead police began hearing that ads were being used in prostitution, according to Lt. Shannon Monroe. “This was kind of a trial run doing it this way. We want to see how this is handled in our court system to see if it’s worthwhile to do again,” said Monroe, referring to targeting customers of prostitution.
He said opinion varies on whether public resources should be spent on prostitution. “People are kind of all over the board on it,” Monroe said. The charges the three men face are misdemeanors, which carry a maximum penalty of a $700 fine and 90 days in jail. Last year, Fargo police conducted at least three prostitution stings, including the arrest of one john. The department also held similar stings in 2004 and 2006 by targeting exotic dancers. Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555
