Kent officers bust men during undercover prostitution sting | Police Blotter

Kent Police arrested 11 men for investigation of patronizing a prostitute during a recent undercover sting at a local motel.

Ten officers were assigned various roles during the July 30 operation set up at the Howard Johnson motel, 1233 Central Ave. N., to combat demand for the commercial sex industry by arresting men who solicit women for sex in exchange for money, according to the police report.

Police placed an advertisement in the dating section of backpage. com, a website known for running ads where people can meet to exchange money for sex. The ad featured photos of a woman posing in lingerie with a phone number and a “Sunday Funday Special.” An undercover female officer answered text messages or calls to the phone number in the ad.

In one case, a man reportedly texted the number and agreed to pay $80 for a sex act. The woman told him to let her know when he was at the motel and she would give out her room number. When the man showed up at the room, officers arrested him.

The man told officers he just wanted female companionship and that he saw the ad on backpage.com. Police impounded the man’s Ford F-250 pickup and put a prostitution hold on it, so the man would have to pay fees to get the truck back.

Police conducted several similar prostitution stings earlier this year.

Man steals beer, runs from officer

Police arrested a man for investigation of obstructing an officer after he reportedly stole a case of beer at about 12:05 a.m. on July 31 from a 7-Eleven store, 6410 W. Meeker St., and then fled on foot from an officer.

An officer on patrol in his vehicle saw a man in a hooded sweatshirt running from the store and carrying a case of beer, according to the police report. The officer activated his emergency lights but the man ran from the parking lot and jumped a nearby fence.

The officer tracked the man down on the grounds of the Tri Court Apartments, 24510 64th Ave. S. After commands from the officer to stop and a brief foot chase, the man put his arms in the air. Police found a pocket knife and an expandable baton in the man’s possession.

The man told police he had ditched the beer behind a nearby tree. He told an officer he should not have run. A store clerk confirmed that the man had grabbed the beer and ran out of the store. The clerk said he didn’t call 911 because he saw the officer outside the store.

Man throws rocks at cars

Officers arrested a man for investigation of three counts of malicious mischief after he allegedly threw rocks that broke three vehicle windows at about 4:33 p.m. July 31 in the 23700 block of Pacific Highway South.

Two of the vehicles were parked at South Sound Best Auto Sales and a third vehicle was traveling along the street, according to the police report.

Two women stopped to tell an officer that a man had thrown a rock that broke their windshield as they drove along the highway. The manager of the car sales lot told officers two vehicles had windows broken by thrown rocks.

Police found the man nearby. He told officers he threw the rocks because he wasn’t having a good day. Officers also arrested the man for a warrant out of Everett for trafficking in stolen property.

Woman swipes shoes from store

Police arrested a woman for investigation of third-degree theft after she reportedly took shoes and other items at about 1:45 p.m. on July 31 from a Fred Meyer store, 10201 SE 240th St.

Store security personnel watched the woman take make-up and school supplies. She also wore a pair of shoes taken off the shelf and had other pairs of shoes in her cart. She exited the store with the cart and didn’t make any attempt to pay for the items valued at $419.

The woman told police she owed her aunt money and her aunt told her if she stole the items she needed her debt would be wiped clean. Officers also arrested the woman for investigation of possession of drug paraphernalia after they found syringes, foil wads, a glass pipe and pills in an unmarked bottle inside her purse.