Two Arrested In Valley West Prostitution Sting
Ashley Winfrey
City of Arcata
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARCATA POLICE DEPARTMENT CONDUCTS PROSTITUTION STING
On Thursday, Aug. 15, officers from the Arcata Police Department conducted a prostitution sting operation in the Valley West area.
Prostitution has become a problem for Valley West motels and the Arcata Police Department has received requests to assist with abatement.
Prostitution has brought a variety of criminal activity into our community. Armed robberies and weapon possession cases have been attributed to prostitutes and suspected pimps at our local motels.
Patrice Denham
The Arcata Police Department has also seen a correlation between traveling prostitutes and the trafficking of controlled substances such as large quantities of marijuana as well as heroin and methamphetamine.
During the operation undercover officers contacted prostitutes who were using the internet to advertise. A meeting was arraigned and when the prostitutes solicited the officer, they were arrested.
Patrice Weems, 23 of Eureka and Ashley Winfrey, 22 of Eureka were both arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of 647(b) PC, Prostitution.
According to the HCSO, Weems was booked under the name Patrice Denham.
