LAYTON, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Investigators say Davis County residents are tired of their city being a pit stop off of I-15 for prostitution as "Johns" and hookers all pulling off the highway in order to conduct business.
To combat the problem, the Layton Police Department vice squad set up a sting operation on Thursday and invited ABC4 news along for the operation.
For seven hours, ABC 4 camped out in a hotel room along I-15 in Layton and watched men pay a prostitute for sex.
In the sting, orchestrated by the Layton Police Department, the prostitutes were not the target. The female was working in conjunction with the police department. Ads were placed on undisclosed websites inviting potential patrons to a hotel room wired for audio and video.
The men caught in the sting saw the ad and met the woman in the hotel room. Police waited until the johns committed an incriminating act before rushing into the room.
One 30-year-old man didn't know ABC 4 and the police were listening to an audio and video feed of the conversation. He asked the prostitute, "How do I know you're not a cop?" and then arranged for a sexual encounter.
Once the male stated he was at the hotel for sex and the vice squad arrived and stopped the transaction.
Over the course of the day, the Layton Police Department swooped in to arrest four men attempted to purchase sex from a prostitute. The men ranged from 30 to 56 and one was even married.
The police department said these men and others like them are bringing prostitution into the heart of the community.
A sergeant with the vice squad told ABC 4, "Because of our society and the internet, it's becoming more and more rampant and we're trying to nip it in the bud."
The four arrested men all face misdemeanor charges that carry a fine. ABC 4 asked the men if they would ever patronize a hooker again and they all answered no.
