Canal Winchester is a city of about 8,800 residents located dually in Franklin and Fairfield Counties, Ohio. The city is near the heart of the state and is considered to be a part of the Central Ohio community, not too far from downtown Columbus. Canal Winchester is in close proximity to a variety of public parks and waterways that serve as tourist attractions in addition to their breweries and well-known museums.

Despite the city being a prominently well-off suburban community, Canal Winchester has had its fair share of issues pertaining to commercial sex. In January 2020, a joint task force from the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Pickerington Police Department, and the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force completed an undercover operation targeting the demand for prostitution. Six men were arrested in Canal Winchester under the work of “Operation Foul Ball”. Upon completion of the sting, the names of the offenders, in addition to their ages, were released to the public. Reports also stated that each of the men arrested in the operation were required to attend “John School,” in which they would become informed about the dangers of commercial sex and its influence on human trafficking. Part of the reason “Operation Foul Ball” was conducted by a joint task force was to ensure that the Pickerington Police Department had training regarding the particular issues surrounding prostitution and its heavy demand within Central Ohio.