Jackson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio and has a population of roughly 40,000 residents. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the township, surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is the issue of illicit massage businesses. For example, in 2014 the Jackson Township Police Department conducted a reverse sting operation at a local massage parlor after citizen complaints concerning possible prostitution activity at the spa. The operation was a part of a county-wide effort to regulate the massage parlor industry in Stark County. The investigation resulted in the arrest of four employees for prostitution-related charges and the spa owner on two counts of procuring prostitution. The series of investigations into IMB’s in Stark County led city and township officials to create new ordinances requiring businesses to be licensed as well as their employees. Officials believed that the new ordinances would reduce the commercial-level demand for IMB’s in the county.

Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. For example, in October 2014, the Jackson Township Police Department assisted Canton Police Department in a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of four male sex buyers.

In 2019, the Jackson Township Police Department conducted a web-based operation that focused on targeting individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex or sex trafficking, in addition to identifying and rescuing potential victims of sex trafficking. According to reports, the investigation consisted of officers posting decoy advertisements online, posing as a 13-year-old girl, and communicating with potential sex buyers. The investigation resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old man on felony charges of attempting to commit unlawful sexual contact with a minor and importuning. According to officials, the sex buyer had responded to a chat with an undercover officer from the Canton Police Department and discussed engaging in sexual activity in exchange for money with the undercover officer. Additionally, the offender agreed to meet the undercover officer at a local hotel, where he was arrested upon arrival. The Jackson Township Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from Canton, North Canton, and Wooster police officers, as well as the FBI’s Canton Office and the Massillon City Prosecutor. A preliminary hearing for the man was scheduled in Massillon Municipal Court. The offender’s identity was released in reports from local news sources.