Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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August 19, 2008

Princeton police: ‘Doing everything we can to get rid’ of prostitution

By GREG JORDAN

PRINCETON — Approxi-mately eight arrests resulting in charges of soliciting prostitution were the results of the latest round of crackdowns in the city.

Four arrests on soliciting prostitution were in the Police Blotters of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph’s Aug. 17 edition, but more were soon added, said Det. Sgt. J.W. Howell of the Princeton Police Department.

“Actually, we had those on the blotter and four or five more the next night,” Howell said Tuesday. “We do have some prostitutes who work in the area of Mercer Street and Thorn Street, and we’re doing everything we can to get rid of the problem. We do get complaints from business owners and people shopping in the area.”

One way to address the problem is to periodically work with cooperating individuals who help record transactions with customers, Howell said. In other operations, the prostitutes themselves face arrest. Either way, the sweeps are not done on a regular basis; instead, they are done “on the spur of the moment” so people cannot know when police are watching.

In recent arrests, customers of prostitutes offer sums ranging from $40 to as little as $5 for their time.

“It’s not as easy as people think to arrest and convict for prostitution. It’s hard to get someone to go up and work for you. There’s a lot involved,” Howell said.

Howell worked on the recent arrests with Detective T.A. Bailey.

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