Huron County is a county in northern Ohio of approximately 58,000 residents. Its county seat is Norwalk, and it is located just south of Lake Erie. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented in the county. This activity and its ancillary crimes have generated residential complaints to local law enforcement. Among the more serious crimes associated with the county’s commercial sex market is child sex trafficking.

In an effort to reduce the demand for prostitution, the Huron County Sheriff’s Office has conducted at least one reverse sting in the county, publicizing the identities of the men arrested. In September 2010, Huron County Sheriff’s deputies arrested three male sex buyers during a sting operation targeting a web-based prostitution service that fulfilled sexual, sadomasochistic fetishes. Acting on a tip about a prostitution ring operating in Greenwich, deputies went to that address and executed a search warrant, seizing items used in sexual role-playing, such as neckties, ropes, and dog accessories. In addition, deputies found one male sex buyer at the motel who was arrested and charges with promoting prostitution, a fourth-degree felony. He was released from jail after posting bond the day after his arrest. The identity and image of the arrested sex buyer was included in reports by local media outlets.

Following the September 2010 arrest, HCSO deputies launched an additional undercover investigation targeting similar prostitution activity in the area, yielding two more arrests, each charged with soliciting prostitution, a third-degree misdemeanor. According to officials, the two arrestees were among “dozens” who responded to requests from an undercover agent posing as a prostituted woman on the same website used by the operation resulting in the first arrest. Both men had made appointments to meet with the prostituted woman at a Norwalk hotel, requesting sexual acts using props such as a dog cage, bowl, and collar, as well as masking tape, whips, and a rubber ruler. Deputies had surveillance set up in the motel room, along with the requested various bondage props. One of the arrested sex buyers was a coach employed at Firelands High School and a teacher employed at Lorain County Joint Vocational School in Oberlin, but taught online from the Firelands High School campus. As a result of his arrest, the sex buyer was initially placed on administrative leave until further investigation by his employers, but later resigned from both positions.