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Prostitution sting nets 16 arrests
Total of 62 people charged in multiagency sweep in Salisbury

City police released the names of johns and prostitutes arrested in a multiagency prostitution sting — the largest recent prostitution bust, according to police — that ended with the arrest of 14 men, 2 women and about eight cars being impounded.

Officers and investigators focused primarily on men looking to pay for sex and carried out the bust Friday morning and afternoon, according to police who declined to disclose the sting’s location.

“It had been a while since we targeted the johns,” said Lt. Rob Kemp, a spokesman for the Salisbury Police Department.

Undercover law enforcement officers from other agencies posed as prostitutes in the bust that was part of a larger operation initiated to reduce violent crime in Wicomcio County, according to a written statement from Maryland State Police. The four-day operation netted 62 arrests on drug distribution and possession, outstanding warrants, prostitution, assault on a police officer, traffic and disorderly conduct charges.

In addition to city police, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Fruitland Police Department and Maryland State Police, other agencies involved in the operation included the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“In response to the concerns of our citizens, we answered their calls by strategically deploying a multiagency approach to criminal enforcement throughout Wicomico County,” Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said. “The success of this operation will undoubtedly be repeated in future law enforcement efforts.”