Ardmore is a city of approximately 25,000 residents in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the largest city and county seat of Carter County, OK. It is also the anchor of the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area which is an area consisting of two counties and has an estimated population of 60,000 residents. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city and surrounding areas. The are has also reported having significant issues with illicit massage businesses (IMBs) operating in the city. Among the more serious crimes associated with the area’s commercial sex market is child sex trafficking. Related violence has included the assault and robbery of sex buyers.

In effort to reduce demand for commercial sex in the area, sex buyers have been arrested as a result of reports to local law enforcement. For example, in May 2020, a Healdton Police officer was terminated from employment for allegedly soliciting prostitution at a local Ardmore hotel. According to reports, Ardmore Police officers responded to a call about a robbery at a local hotel and discovered that the Healdton Reserve Officer had reported the robbery to police after he was allegedly assaulted and robbed by two individuals. Upon further investigation, police learned that the officer had solicited the woman for sex and when they met at the local hotel, the former officer was assaulted and robbed. Police later arrested the pair for first degree robbery following the incident. The officer was arrested for soliciting prostitution and was terminated from employment by the Healdton Police Chief. He was not on duty at the time of the arrest. The identity and image of the arrested sex buyer were included in reports by local media outlets.