Sioux Falls Police have released details about a reverse prostitution sting that targeted the clients, not the workers.
Wednesday night's sting, which ended with 7 men in handcuffs, is the second conducted in Sioux Falls since August.
Police tell us Wednesday's arrests took place over a span of 6 hours beginning in the afternoon.
The following list are the men, their ages and charges:
ROBERT ALBERT CORSINI JR, 52, Sioux Falls resident, 1 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
LARRY MERLE MARSHALL, 64, Sioux Falls resident, 2 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
JOSHUA JAMES BARBER, 38, Brookings, SD resident, 2 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
JEFFREY DOUGLAS WOLFF, 53, Beardsley, MN resident, 2 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
MIGUEL ANGEL SANTIAGO-MONTES, 26, Sioux Falls resident, 2 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
JOSEPH LEWIS PANAIA JR, 45, Sioux Falls resident, 1 count Hiring for Sexual Activity
JESSE LYNN RALEY, 23, Sioux Falls resident, 1 counts Hiring for Sexual Activity
Police say they responded to fictitious ads on the Internet sites hoping to buy sex with money. When they showed up, female detectives were on the scene. Two of the men arrested had prior sexual activity on their criminal records.
"We're trying to send the message out there that prostitution will not be tolerated in Sioux Falls. Whether it's a female that's soliciting prostitution or a male that's looking to find a prostitute and engage," Officer Sam Clemens said.
Stronghold Counseling Therapist Earl Witt weighs in on this behavior that, to him, comes as no surprise.
"It's happening daily. For people to see 7 at one time, it's like ''whoa'' but how much more is happening out there? It's only the tip of the ice burg," Earl Witt said.
Witt says it's, in large part, a result of our access to the Internet allowing us to get to the next level easier and faster.
"If it's there, people will use it. At least be curious about it if they don't take it to the next stage. It's still there so it heightens the risk," he said. "It is concerning there was a day you had to go up and talk to someone. You don't have to do that anymore. You can surf a whole lot of people in a quick amount of time. It just takes speed dating to a whole different idea if that's a possible thought."
Meanwhile, police will continue sending the message that prostitution will not be tolerated in Sioux Falls.
"We're doing what we can, we know the Internet ads make it difficult to track, it's easy for these people to post and respond, we're doing what we can to track and keep Sioux Falls a good place," Clemens said.
They also want to minimize the other crime associated with it, including things like robbery, drug use, rape and assault.
