Sting operation nets 11 arrests

Sheriff’s undercover action targets suspected ‘johns’ in Castaic and Stevenson Ranch

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Department’s Human Trafficking Bureau arrested 11 suspected “johns” on solicitation charges during an operation in Castaic on Tuesday.

“Ten were arrested on prostitution charges, and one was arrested for loitering for the purposes of prostitution,” said Lt. Dan Stanley of the Human Trafficking Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which led the operation.

The operation took place over eight hours Tuesday night, according to officials.

The Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, along with deputies from Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, conducted the human trafficking operation in the communities of Castaic and Stevenson Ranch. During the operation, sheriff’s personnel arrested 11 adults.

Four men were arrested in the 31700 block of Castaic Road. The suspects were arrested on prostitution-related charges, after they allegedly solicited

sex acts from an undercover sheriff’s deputy walking on Castaic Road.

Seven men were arrested in the 25200 block of The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, after responding to sexually suggestive ads placed on several internet sites. Each of the men allegedly agreed to meet undercover sheriff’s deputies at a local hotel for the purposes of commercial sex.

All those arrested during this operation were transported to and booked at the SCV Sheriff’s Station.

The operation included task force partners from the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department and the Los Angeles County Probation Department.