Laurens is a city of about 9,000 and is the county seat of Laurens County, South Carolina. It is located upstate, about 70 miles northwest of Columbia. At least one reverse sting and one opportunistic sex buyer arrest have occurred in the city.

In July 2017, Laurens City Police arrested two Laurens County men and a Charlotte woman on prostitution-related charges, alleging sex was exchanged for money in a vehicle parked behind a vacant house on Price Street. The woman was charged with Prostitution 1st Offense after allegedly meeting a man on Price Street, agreeing to exchange $100 for sex, and then engaging in sexual activities in a parked car. The man was also charged with 1st Offense Prostitution for the incident, as well as allegedly aiding another in prostitution by paying for gas and buying condoms, knowing this assistance would result in prostitution on Price Street. Another man was arrested for prostitution, assault, and battery after he allegedly met with the same woman and agreed to pay $100 for sex, then engaged in sexual activities in a car parked behind the same vacant house. The second man allegedly assaulted a victim by striking her in the face and head with his fist. The arrestees’ identities were released to the press.

In February 2023, the Laurens Police Department arrested an unknown felon who thought he was meeting a child to sexually abuse. Detectives arranged for the man to meet up with who he thought was a 14-year-old child, and then attempted to arrest the man when he showed up at the meeting location. However, the man fled in his vehicle, leading to a high-speed chase through the city. Officers deployed stop sticks to stop the man, and his vehicle became disabled and collided with another. No injuries were reported by the third party. The man was extracted from his vehicle and taken into custody, and police found $18,000 of counterfeit merchandise, a 9mm semi-auto pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 style rifle with hundreds of round of ammunition, and $14,000 in cash when they searched his vehicle. The man was charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, criminal sexual conduct with a minor third degree, solicitation of a minor for sex, failure to stop for blue lights, and distribution of counterfeit goods/merchandise. The man’s identity was released to the press.