Johns Creek is a city of just over 82,000 residents, located in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia. Prostitution activity, arranged online and occurring in and around local businesses, has been reported in the community for years.

In early 2015, the Johns Creek Police Department launched an anti-prostitution investigation after receiving reports that a local resident was pimping out her stepdaughter online. JCPD officers, with the support of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and officers with the Alpharetta and Roswell Police Departments, placed decoy advertisements on a website known for prostitution activity and arranged to meet the individuals who responded at a Johns Creek hotel. Fifteen individuals were arrested as a result; although the identities of and charges levied against the offenders were not individually reported, police did report “four people were charged with prostitution, seven were charged with pimping, three were charged with misdemeanor pandering, and one was charged with felony pandering for soliciting a minor for sex.” The woman initially suspected of pimping her stepdaughter– as well as the young victim she trafficked– were among those arrested. In addition, at least one male sex buyer was arrested during the investigation, after arranging to meet what he thought was an underage girl for commercial sexual abuse at the hotel. That offender’s name and mug shot were publicized in local media outlets.