Canyon is a city of approximately 16,000 residents in northwestern Texas, in the Texas panhandle. It is the county seat of Randall County, TX and is part of the Amarillo metropolitan statistical area. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities. Targeted violence and murder of prostituted women has also been reported to occur as a result of commercial sex transactions in the area. Among the more serious issues associated with the local commercial sex market is child sex trafficking.

Loss of employment is a consequence of buying sex in the city. For example, in October 2014, a local church leader resigned after being arrested on a charge related to prostitution at an Amarillo motel, according to Potter County Sheriff’s Office records and a church statement. The man had been was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers at a motel on Paramount Blvd in Amarillo, TX. According to reports, the man had been a pastor for Hillside Christian Church’s Canyon campus since 2009. The man previously worked for Family Support Services as a counselor for foster children who aged out of the system. He was booked into Potter County jail on the misdemeanor charge and was released on a $1,000 bond. The Hillside Christian Church issued a statement saying the man had turned in his resignation, as a result of his arrest. His identity and image were included in reports by local media outlets.