Enid is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma with a population of approximately 50,000 residents. It is the county seat of Garfield County, OK. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city and surrounding areas for over a century. This activity and its ancillary crimes have resulted in complaints to local law enforcement from residents and businesses. For example, in 1902, prominent residents in the city joined together to protest against prostitution in the city. In 1954, police were called to shut down a local hotel that was allegedly the city-center for prostitution bootlegging, and narcotics traffic. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market today is child sex trafficking.

In effort to reduce demand for commercial sex activity in the area, police have implemented demand reduction tactics targeting individuals that drive the commercial sex market such as arresting sex buyers and identity disclosure. For example, in May 2022, in what began as a response to a call about a sexual battery in a local Walmart by Enid Police officers, resulted in the arrest of an 39-year-old Enid man on multiple charges, including one count of sexual battery, one count of soliciting prostitution, and three counts of trespassing after being forbidden. According to an affidavit filed in the case, when officers from the Enid Police Department responded to the call, a woman reportedly told police that when she was shopping in the cosmetic department a man walked up behind her and “pressed his groin area against her buttocks.” Another affidavit filed in the case stated that EPD responded to a call from a Hobby Lobby store in reference to a man who had been trespassed but had returned. According to a third affidavit filed in the case, EPD had responded to a call from a Dollar General store and spoke with an employee in reference to an issue with a customer. The third affidavit states the employee said she and a coworker noticed a man who approached one of the employees and handed her $10, “pointed to the area of his penis and began making some type of motion with his hand.” The employee said she was confused but later asked if he “wanted a type of sexual favor”, and the man indicated, “Yes.” The employee reportedly told the man that she was going to call the police and he needed to wait. The employee provided police with contact information for a woman who witnessed the incident. According to online court records, the man’s bond was set at $50,000, and a competency evaluation was ordered. The man’s identity was included in news reports.