Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia and has a population of approximately 54,000 residents. Its county seat is the town of Abingdon. Prostitution has been documented within the county. For example, during a web-based reverse sting conducted by the Bristol Virginia Police Department in 2016, six male sex buyers were arrested, three of which were residents of Abingdon; two of which were public officials.

Identity disclosure and loss of employment are consequences of buying sex that have been used within the county. For example, in January, 2017, the Washington County Public Information Officer, Alicia Roland, reported that the county’s solid waste manager was no longer employed by the county as a result of his arrest for soliciting prostitution in 2016. According to reports, the former soli waste manager was one of six male sex buyers arrested during a web-based reverse sting conducted by the Bristol Virginia Police Department in September, 2016. The offender had allegedly answered an online ad posted by an undercover detective on a website known for prostitution and sex trafficking, and was arrested by police upon his arrival to the arranged meeting place. Court records reveal the offender received supervised probation and had to pay more than $300 in fines and court costs as a result of the charge. The sex buyer’s identity was included in reports by local media outlets.