Joint sting effort nets prostitution arrests



(Created: Thursday, November 17, 2005 1:52 PM CST)

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Police from Bloomington and Richfield arrested more than a dozen women on prostitution charges in a cooperative sting effort last week.

The officers took rooms at two hotels Nov. 3 and began calling "outcall services" listed in a metro weekly newspaper, according to police reports.

Each time, the service sent women to the hotel rooms, which were occupied by undercover officers, police reports state.

When the women offered sex for money, the undercover officer would give a signal to officers in an adjacent room. The other officers then entered the room and took the women into custody, according to police reports.

The operation was carried out with the cooperation of the hotels - the Comfort Inn, 1321 E. 78th St., Bloomington, and Candlewood Suites, 351 W. 77th St., Richfield, police said.

The women ranged in age from 19 to 33. Most listed home addresses in the Twin Cities, but one listed her address as Montevideo, Minn., according to police reports.

The women were ticketed for prostitution and some also were tagged for offering massage without a license, police reports indicate. Most will face misdemeanor charges though two repeat offenders may face gross misdemeanor charges.

One woman will also face a charge of disorderly conduct in the wake of an altercation with officers, according to police reports.

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