Yakima, WA
Categories:
Tactics Used |
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Auto Seizure | ✓ |
Buyer Arrests | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Community Service | ✓ |
Employment Loss | ✓ |
Identity Disclosure | ✓ |
IT Based Tactics | ✓ |
John School | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
License Suspension | ✓ |
Neighborhood Action | ✓ |
Public Education | ✓ |
Reverse Stings | ✓ |
SOAP Orders | ✓ |
Web Stings | ✓ |
Yakima is a city of close to 100,000 residents in Central Washington, and is the county seat of Yakima County, WA. Prostitution has been described by residents and businesses as a substantial local problem for decades, and more recently sex trafficking has been uncovered in several investigations. The city has also documented several cases of targeted assaults, robberies, and murders of prostituted women in the county. Among the more serious crimes associated with the area’s commercial sex market is child sex trafficking. For example, in 1994, police uncovered child sex trafficking operation in which sex traffickers/pimps were sexually exploiting teenage girls in exchange for money in Yakima.
The city was among the “early adopters” of tactics used to contain the prostitution problem by focusing on consumer-level demand. The first known reverse sting in the city occurred in 1976. Community complaints have played a role in police conducting anti-prostitution operations, including street-level reverse stings. In April 2013, the city announced a new municipal ordinance establishing SOAP orders. The new law works by banning convicted sex buyers (as well as prostituted persons) from areas of the city known for commercial sex sales. People caught violating a SOAP order can be arrested on the spot for a misdemeanor, and may be jailed for up to 90 days and/or be forced to pay a fine of up to $1,000. In May 2013, the Yakima Police Department announced it would start releasing the names and photos of arrested sex buyers, and that a list was being readied for release in June, 2013. A list and photos of the first eight male sex buyers was released June 10, 2013.
In December 2018, thirteen male sex buyers, including four from Yakima County, were charged with attempted child sex crimes in an undercover online sting operation led by the Washington State Patrol. The men were arrested as part of “Operation Net Nanny,” where undercover officers pose as children online and communicate with individuals interested in sexually exploiting children in exchange for money. According to reports, the investigation took place over a five-day period, in which each of the men had traveled to a predetermined location to meet with undercover officers posing as minors. Upon their arrival, the men were arrested. Charges included commercial sexual abuse of a minor, communication with a minor for immoral purposes, involving a minor in unlawful controlled substance transaction, and attempted first-degree rape of a child. The operation was run by the WSP’s Missing and Exploited Children task force. In addition to the Yakima Police Department, other participating agencies included the Law Enforcement Against Drugs task force from Yakima, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ellensburg Police Department.
Sex buyers have also been apprehended as the result of alternative investigations or from residential reports to local law enforcement. For example, in 2020, Yakima police were called to an apartment for a 15-year-old girl who was experiencing opioid withdrawal. According to the affidavit, the girl told police that her bother had got her addicted to pain killers, and she had started engaging in commercial sex for drug money. When the girl’s mother found out that she had been engaging in commercial sex, the mother began going with her daughter to meet sex buyers “to make sure she did it safely.” The mother would sometimes set up the appointments and the price, and drive her daughter to locations. The money would go toward buying drugs and household necessities. The girl reportedly told police that the mother also engaged in commercial sex. Police were able to use the girl’s phone to identify and locate the male sex buyers that had solicited sex from the minor. As a result of the investigation, 10 male sex buyers were arrested. Seven were charged with suspected commercial sex abuse of a minor and were released as part of a pretrial diversion program. The remaining three offenders were held on bails ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 on charges including commercial sex abuse of a minor, child rape, communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. The identities of arrested sex buyers were released by police to local media outlets.
Key Partners
- Yakima Police Department
- Yakima County Sheriff’s Office
- FBI
- Washington State Patrol
- Missing and Exploited Children Task Force
- Yakima Law Enforcement Against Drugs Task Force
Key Sources
Street-Level Reverse Stings, Identity Disclosure:
- “17 Arrested in Yakima”, Spokane Spokesman-Review, July 24 1976.
- 17 arrested in Yakima (1976)
- “Yakima Cracks down on Vice”, Ellensburg Daily Record, July 17 1984.
- “Yakima Chases Prostitutes Out”, Ellensburg Daily Record, February 24 1997.
- Yakima shakes image as prostitute city (1997)
- Brewer, D.D., Roberts, J.M., Muth, S.Q, & Potterat, J.J. (2007). Prevalence of Male Clients of Prostitute Women in the United States. Final Report to the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice: Research Grant #2003-IJ-CX-1036.
- “Sidewalk Sting: 14 Men Charged After Morning Operation on North First Street”, Yakima Herald-Republic, July 19 1998.
- “Hooker Hot Spot”, ABC/KVEW-TV 44, July 26 2008.
- “22 Arrested During Prostitution Sting”, ABC/KAPP-TV 25, June 16 2011.
- https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/prostitution-sting-in-yakima (2011)
- “Yakima Police Arrest 10 in Prostitution Stings”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, March 19 2013.
- “Yakima Police Arrest Eight Men for Patronizing a Prostitute”, NBC/KNDU-TV 25, June 10 2013.
- “Yakima Police Launch Prostitution Sting; Eight Nabbed in First of a Promised Series of Stings; Names, Photos of Suspects Being Publicized”, Yakima Herald-Republic, June 11 2013.
Web-Based Reverse Sting, Identity Disclosure:
- Operation Cross Country IX (2015)
- https://kimatv.com/fbi-prostitution-operation-yields-11-arrests-statewide-1-in-yakima (2015)
- https://www.yakimaherald.com/attempted-child-sex-charges-filed-against-area-men-in-sting (2018)
- https://www.yakimaherald.com/four-yakima-county-men-among-arrested-in-online-child-sex (2018)
Sex Buyer Arrest, Identity Disclosure:
- https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/yakima-police-arrest-10-men-in-sex-trafficking-case-involving-yakima-teen (2020)
- https://www.kxly.com/yakima-mother-accused-of-sex-trafficking-15-year-old-daughter-to-pay-for-drugs/ (2020)
Identity Disclosure:
- “Yakima to Release Pictures of Those Charged with Soliciting Prostitutes, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, May 23 2013.
- “Photos: Yakima IDs Men Charged during Prostitution Emphasis”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, June 10 2013.
- “Police Launch Prostitution Sting”, Yakima Herald-Republic, June 11 2013.
- http://newstalkkit.com/yakima-police-make-more-arrests-in-prostitution-sting/ (2013)
SOAP Orders:
- “New Law to Curb Prostitution in Yakima”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, April 10 2013.
- “Fewer Prostitutes Seen Walking on North 1st Street”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, May 14 2013.
Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Man Ruled Guilty”, Spokane Spokesman-Review, November 24 1971.
- “Custody Decision ‘Deplorable'”, Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 13 1978.
- “Man Charged in Prostitution Ring Is Convict”, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, July 18 1994.
- “Second Man Pleads Guilty in Yakima Prostitution Case”, Ellensburg Daily Record, November 22 1994.
- “Man Convicted of Running Child Prostitution Ring in Yakima”, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, October 11 1995.
- “Mother Charged in Prostitution of Daughter, 14”, Yakima Herald-Republic, September 19 1998.
- “Yakima Woman Pleads Guilty to Promoting Prostitution; Lesser Charge Agreed after Daughter Recants Previous Statement”, Yakima Herald-Republic, November 11 1998.
- “Girls, 11, Say Group Tried to Force Them into Prostitution; Woman Accused of Kidnap, Threatening to Kill Children”, Yakima Herald-Republic, September 6 2002.
- “Around the Valley; Yakima Woman Held in Alleged Kidnapping”, Yakima Herald-Republic, September 10 2002.
- “Human Trafficking a ‘Terrible Nightmare’ for Yakima Valley Families”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, January 11 2012.
- “Sunnyside Girl Likely Victim of Human Trafficking”, Yakima Herald-Republic, January 15 2012.
- “Admitted Pimp Gets Five Years in Rape of 14-Year-Old, Awaits Trial on Assault”, McClatchy-Tribune Regional News, February 11 2012.
- “Judge Acquits Yakima Pimp of Attempted Murder”, Yakima Herald-Republic, February 17 2012.
- “Child Sex Trafficking Workshop Due in Yakima”, Yakima Herald-Republic, April 24 2013.
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Prostitutes Arrested”, Ellensburg Daily Record, March 16 1973.
- “‘Oldest Profession’ Thrives”, Spokane Daily Chronicle, December 4 1975.
- “Yakima Growing as Vice Center”, Spokane Daily Chronicle, July 20 1976.
- “Yakima Hookers Face Law”, Ellensburg Daily Record, July 20 1976.
- “Law Is OK”, Ellensburg Daily Record, August 25 1976.
- “Motel Owners Seek to Curb Prostitution”, Eugene Register-Guard, August 10 1977.
- Motels team up to fight crime (1977)
- “Yakima Has Swept Away Its Illicit Past”, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 24 1997.
- “Yakima’s Prostitution Problem Anything but New”, Yakima Herald-Republic, July 19 1998.
- “N. 1st Street Police Emphasis Patrol is Working”, ABC/KAPP-TV 35, August 20 2008.
- “Prostitution Is Happening at All Hours of the Day in Yakima”, NBC/KNDU-TV 25, September 11 2009.
- “Downtown Yakima Dealing with Prostitution”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, April 13 2011.
- “Yakima Prostitution Arrests Down, But Is the Number of ‘Working Girls?'”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, November 3 2011.
- “Man Gets Four Months for Pimping in Yakima”, Yakima Herald-Republic, July 19 2013.
- “Yakima Police Ready to Shut down Problem Motels to Fight Prostitution”, CBS/KIMA-TV 33, January 14 2014.
- “Police Raid Massage Parlors to Stop Prostitution”, NBC/KNDU-TV 25, September 8 2014.
- “City Scrutiny Overdue for Massage Spas”, Yakima Herald Republic, September 12 2014.
- “FBI Prostitution Operation Yields 11 Arrests Statewide; 1 in Yakima,” CBS/KIMA-TV 33, October 15 2015.
- http://kimatv.com/news/local/police-say-they-respond-daily-to-crimes-on-north-first-street (2018)
- http://kimatv.com/local-business-owners-say-crime-on-north-first-street-is-scaring-away-their-customers (2018)
Documented Violence Against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Bail Set in Prostitute Assault; Jerry E. Aronhalt Accused of Attacking a Yakima Prostitute with a Knife”, Yakima Herald-Republic, April 11 1998.
- “Man Charged with Attack, Kidnapping of Prostitute; Jerry E. Aronhalt”, Yakima Herald-Republic, April 15 1998.
- “Victim Testifies about Attack in Orchard; Jerry E. Aronhalt Charged with Second Degree Rape and Assault”, Yakima Herald-Republic, September 24 1998.
- “Tieton Man Gets Life in Prison; Jerry Aronhalt”, Yakima Herald-Republic, December 22 1998.
- “Ex-Officer (Greg Finch) Charged With Rape; Prostitute Says She Was Forced to Have Sex with Policeman Three Times”, Yakima Herald-Republic, July 17 1999.
- “Robert Daryl Carter III the Suspect in Murder of Prostitute Ruby Moranda-Robles, May Escape Death Penalty”, Yakima Herald-Republic, August 3 1999.
- “Yakima Man Gets Prison for Kidnapping, Knife Attack; Jayson Lance Gardner”, Yakima Herald-Republic, November 10 1999.
- “Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault; Gregory Allen Finch”, Yakima Herald-Republic, February 11 2000.
- “Sheriff: Evidence in Older Case Points to Yates; Detectives Eye Clues that May Link Serial Killer to 12-Year-Old Slaying”, Yakima Herald-Republic, December 2 2000.
- “Yakima Takes New Look at 1988 Killing after Seeing Yates GPS Data”, Spokane Spokesman-Review, December 2 2000.
- “Woman Arrested in Motel Stabbing; Police Still Search for Male Suspect”, Yakima Herald-Republic, December 22 2000.
- “Trial Begins in Yakima; Alleged Rapes of Prostitutes Spelled Out; Gilbert Dominguez”, Yakima Herald-Republic, June 6 2002.
- “Victim Helps Police Nab Alleged Rapist”, Yakima Herald-Republic, June 12 2002.
- “Attorneys Launch Closing Arguments in Rape Trial; If Convicted, Gilbert A. Dominquez Could Spend the Rest of His Life in Prison”, Yakima Herald-Republic, June 21 2002.
- “Admitted Pimp Gets Five Years in Rape of 14-Year-Old, Awaits Trial on Assault”, McClatchy-Tribune Regional News, February 11 2012.
- “Judge Acquits Yakima Pimp of Attempted Murder”, Yakima Herald-Republic, February 17 2012.
State | Washington |
Type | City |
Population | 96578 |
Location |
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