Kent Police arrested a man for investigation of patronizing a prostitute as part of an undercover sting at a local hotel.
Officers arrested the man at about 5:29 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Howard Johnson hotel, 1233 Central Ave. N., according to the police report. Officers made several arrests that evening of men who showed up looking to pay a woman for sex.
Police have conducted several undercover operations this year at local hotels in an effort combat demand for the commercial sex industry by arresting those who solicit women for sex in exchange for money, according to the report.
In the latest case, police placed an advertisement on the website backpage.com under the women looking for men section. Police noted in the report that the website is known to be used by pimps and prostitutes to attract customers.
The ad placed by police included a phone number of a woman. An undercover officer answered the call from a man. They reportedly agreed the man would pay $180 for “full service” and the woman would give him her room number when he arrived at the hotel parking lot. When the man knocked on the hotel room door, officers answered the door and arrested the man.
The man told officers he knew his rights and declined to talk to police about the incident. The man’s cellphone number matched the number that had called the woman earlier. The man also had $180 cash in his pants pocket.
Father threatens son with gun
Officers arrested a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he allegedly pulled out a gun during a dispute with his son on Sept. 18 at a house in the 11700 block of Southeast 272nd Place.
Officers responded to a 911 call from the son that his father had threatened him with a gun, according to the police report. The son and his sister fled the house.
The father apparently became upset with his son and daughter because he needed them to clean the house, but the son had to go work and the daughter to school. The father and son argued, and then the father retrieved a gun from inside the house, but never took aim at his son. He then threw a roll of duct tape that hit the son in the leg.
The father told police he got the gun because he feared his son. The father gave officers permission to remove guns from his home until the courts review his case and decide whether the man should possess weapons. Police removed eight guns.
Woman gives false name to officer
Police arrested a woman for investigation of making a false statement after she reportedly gave her sister’s name when an officer pulled her over for speeding at about 10:39 a.m. Sept. 15 near the 9200 block of South 240th Street.
An officer used a laser speed measuring device that indicated the driver going 58 mph in a 35 mph zone while eastbound on South 240th Street, according to the police report.
The woman told police she didn’t know she was going that fast. She said she was on the way to pick up her son from school because he was sick. She didn’t have a driver’s license, ID card or proof of insurance. She told the officer she initially gave him her sister’s name because she feared police would find out she had a suspended license.
The officer noticed the woman didn’t match the photo that came up with the initial name. When the woman gave the officer her actual name, he ran a Department of Licensing check that showed the woman had a suspended license for an unpaid ticket.
Man drives recklessly
Officers arrested a man for investigation of reckless driving and possession of marijuana (he was under the age of 21) after he reportedly pulled out in front of a car and a motorcycle at about 6:11 p.m. Sept. 15 in the 1000 block of Central Avenue North.
The car and motorcycle each had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting the car that pulled out in front of them while traveling northbound on Central Avenue, according to the police report.
When an officer pulled the driver over, he told police he feared running out of gas and getting stuck at the stop sign so he purposely failed to yield to traffic on the street. The man said he left his driver’s license at home. He also didn’t have proof of insurance or a vehicle registration.
When police looked inside the car, they found a plastic bag with marijuana inside of it. The man denied the marijuana belonged to him.
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