Wood County is a county of approximately 132,000 residents, located south of Toledo in northwest Ohio. It contains the cities of Perrysburg and its county seat Bowling Green. Situated along Interstate 75, the county has struggled with problems associated with prostitution activity in and around local truck stops for decades. To address these issues, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office has conducted street-level reverse stings to identify and apprehend sex buyers. Operations have typically used one or more undercover female officers who pose as decoys. As sex buyers attempt to solicit sex from the women, they are quickly arrested.

In July 2011, sheriff’s deputies furthered their efforts by conducting a web sting. Officers placed a decoy advertisement and phone number on an internet site known to advertise commercial sex; a female officer then arranged meetings with the men who replied. As a warning to other would-be sex buyers, the WCSO released the sex buyers’ names and other identifying information to the local media.