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D’IBERVILLE — Undercover officers across two Coast counties came up with a solution to being recognized by the prostitutes and escort services they try to arrest or raid. The officers swapped territories Thursday night for an operation that netted 17 arrests.
The multi-agency sting by seven law enforcement agencies in Harrison and Jackson counties rounded up several suspects who have a history of arrests for prostitution and a couple from Jackson who have been on the Coast for two weeks, said D’Iberville Police Capt. Keith Davis.
The operation targeted escort services and people advertising for prostitution-related activities on Craigslist, a free online ad service. Hotels were a common spot for the arrests.
“We’ve noticed in the last year an increase in prostitution-related activity on Craigslist and we’ve noticed that the escort services have become quite successful in recognizing our undercover officers,” Davis said. “We put together a strategy, spread out all across the area and caught them in the act.
“All of our cases involved an undercover officer acting as a ‘john’ and as soon as the suspects agreed to have sex for money, they were arrested.
“They did not recognize the undercover officers because the officers are from a different jurisdiction.”
One of the suspects is Gregory Hagerty, a long-time owner of escort services. He told the Sun Herald after a bust in 2004 that his “girls” can earn up to $250,000 a year.
Also arrested were Gloria Spencer, Jennifer Harwell, Natalie Nicole Johnson, Megan Mumley, Christina Wilkins, Daniel Foster, Tiffany Ely, Curtis Thompson, Stanley Harge, Regina Wallace, Tammy Jean Woods and Rhea Bourque Kennedy.
Names and pictures of four others arrested were not available. Those arrests were by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department.
About 30 investigators and officers conducted the operations simultaneously from 7 p.m. Thursday until 1 a.m. Friday. Most of the arrests were in Biloxi and D’Iberville. Some of the arrests included drug-possession charges.
“The main focus is public safety,” said Davis. “We want to send the message that this activity is not welcomed here and we will target all who engage in illegal sex acts.”
Participating were police from D’Iberville, Biloxi, Gulfport and Ocean Springs, the Jackson County Narcotics Task Force and deputies from Jackson and Harrison Counties.
Prostitution, a misdemeanor crime in Mississippi, is punishable by a fine of up to $200, the same amount some area escort services have said is their hourly charge.
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