In March 2017, Blaine residents were arrested for buying sex in nearby communities. One was arrested when an undercover officer acted as a decoy prostituted person near Lake Street East and 13th Avenue S. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to a charge of hiring, offering or agreeing to hire prostitution in a public place, a gross misdemeanor. He was convicted and sentenced to a two-year probation, was fined $2,000, and was sentenced to five days of community service in lieu of $500 of the fine. Charges of loitering with intent to participate in prostitution and loitering with intent to solicit an act prohibited by law were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Another man responded to an online ad on Backpage.com posted by undercover officers who said her age was “almost 16.” He was convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to two years of probation. He was required to perform 15 days of service or spend 60 days in the workhouse. He completed 15 days of service. He was also required to receive a psychological evaluation and counseling, attend a sex offender program, not possess any sexually explicit material, and not have any unsupervised contact with minor females except relatives. He was fined $200.