A Currituck County man was among 14 arrested during a single-day human trafficking sting outside Youngstown, Ohio on Sunday.
The men, ranging in age from 26 to 63 years old, were allegedly “seeking to buy sex via the internet,” according to a news release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Liberty Township Police Chief Toby Meloro.
William Shaw Sr., 58, of Moyock, was arrested on counts soliciting, a third-degree misdemeanor, and possessing criminal tools, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Another man from North Carolina, David Shaffer, 46, of Mineral Ridge, was also arrested on the same counts, along with ten from Ohio, one from Pennsylvania, and one man whose address was not known.
Fourteen men were arrested during a single-day #HumanTrafficking operation that targeted individuals seeking to buy sex via the internet, AG Yost and Liberty Township Police Chief Toby Meloro announced today. pic.twitter.com/r1QSXwyDBZ
— Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (@OhioAG) December 7, 2020
“John stings deter those seeking to purchase sex – reducing the demand for human trafficking – and serve as a reminder that these crimes are more prevalent and closer to home than you may think,” Yost said. “Hats off to Chief Meloro and the Liberty Township Police Department on their successful operation.”
Agencies involved in the operation include the Liberty Township Police Department, Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Austintown Police Department, Youngstown Police Department, Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
