Beaver Township is a city of approximately 6,500 residents, located in Mahoning County, Ohio. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Mahoning County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Police began noticing increased prostitution in the city in about 2011-2012, coinciding with a surge of heroin and methamphetamine usage. Much of the prostitution appeared to be advertised online and occur in hotels. In March 2013, two people were arrested after officers checked several websites where women advertised for prostitution services, and the undercover officer responded to the ads and arranged meetings. One of the arrestees was a dancer at a nearby “adult entertainment” establishment. In May 2013, an undercover officer agreed to meet with two women in a similar set up and they were arrested on prostitution charges on their way to a different hotel in the area.

Among the tactics used by police in an effort to reduce prostitution activity are those focusing on reducing demand. For example, in September 2017, eight men were arrested in Beaver Township after exchanging messages with the undercover officer arranging a sexual encounter for-hire with an adult female. A ninth suspect was arrested on charges of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning, possession of criminal tools, and attempted sexual imposition after allegedly arranging for a sexual encounter with an officer posing as a 15-year-old girl. According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, the suspects answered online ads posted by an undercover officer. A total of 308 people responded to the online ads; the men who arrived at the residence to buy sex were arrested, and were later identified in news releases.