Howard County is a county of about 9,000 residents in northeastern Iowa, on the border with Minnesota. The county seat is Cresco. At least one opportunistic sex buyer arrest has occurred in the county. In May 2023, a New Hampton man was arrested for solicitation of prostitution after attempting to purchase sex from a cashier at a gas station. The man tried to purchase a Powerade and when the female cashier told him the price for the drink, he opened his phone to a translator app and the screen said, “I would like to give you $200 for sex.” The cashier asked if he was asking her to have sex with him for $200 and the man said yes. The Howard County Deputy Sheriff retrieved the video security cameras and sent a picture of the suspect to the New Hampton Police Department. Officers checked the residence listed on the license plate and arrested the man, whose identity was released to the press. He was transported to the county line and taken to Howard County Jail.