Hanoverton is a small village of about 300 residents in Hanover Township, located in eastern Ohio south of Salem in Columbiana County. Prostitution and child sexual exploitation have been documented in the township and surrounding areas. For example, in December 2017, three people were arrested by state police in a parking lot in Hanover Township on prostitution and drug charges after a woman allegedly agreed to meet an undercover trooper for sex in exchange for $200.

At least one sex buyer arrest has occurred in the village. In June 2021, a Hanoverton man was arrested and charged with sex-related solicitation crimes after a number of electronic items were seized from his home. The man was charged with compelling prostitution, a third-degree felony; importuning and possessing criminal tools, both fifth-degree felonies; and a misdemeanor soliciting charge. The charges resulted from an investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force (MVHTTF) which revealed the man was interested in having sex with mothers and their daughters in exchange for money, including interest in sexually abusing minor girls. Investigators also discovered the man was potentially in possession of child sexual abuse materials (i.e., child pornography). The Columbiana County Sheriff’s Department, Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office, East Palestine Police Department, and a Mahoning County Sheriff’s Deputy assisted the task force in obtaining a warrant and searching the man’s house in Hanoverton, after which he was arrested. The man’s name, age, and hometown were released to the public.