Mayfield is a village of approximately 3,400 residents in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It is officially named Mayfield but is commonly referred to as Mayfield Village. Mayfield Village was originally part of Mayfield Township and is now a suburb of Cleveland. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented in the city and surrounding areas. This activity and its ancillary crimes have generated residential complaints to local law enforcement. The area has experienced a wide range of negative events associated with the local commercial sex market, including HIV-positive persons continuing to sell sex, assaults of both prostituted persons and sex buyers, sex trafficking of adults and children, and homicides specifically targeting those engaged in prostitution. For example, on October 30, 2019, a Cleveland man was convicted of shooting at Homeland Security agents on Cleveland’s East Side, sex trafficking a juvenile, and producing child sexual abuse material (i.e., child pornography). The suspect fired six shots at Homeland Security agents executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home. The offender was convicted of assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, sex trafficking of a minor, producing child pornography, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

Identity disclosure and loss of employment have also been consequences of buying sex in the city. For example, in May 2021, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office reported that a Mayfield Middle School eighth-grade math teacher and girls’ track and field coach was arrested on numerous charges related to sexually soliciting minors online. According to officials, the former teacher had allegedly been sexually exploiting students and other minors in exchange for money and gift cards. He was also accused of engaging in sexually explicit chats with underage students and other minors. The incidents allegedly occurred between September 2019 and June 2021 and involved eight victims – seven female and one male – ranging from 14-17 years old. The offender used pseudo-usernames on multiple social media applications to engage in sexually explicit chats and solicit alleged victims – some of whom were former athletes of his. He sent money and gift cards – totaling thousands of dollars – to the victims in exchange for sexually explicit photos and videos. The man also offered money and expressed interest in meeting the victims to engage in sexual activity. A statement from Mayfield Superintendent Keith Kelly revealed that the investigation was initiated after a female victim reported the incident to school administrators on May 29th, 2021, who then immediately contacted police:

“[The former teacher] allegedly was contacting female high school students and soliciting inappropriate messages and images via social media. Mayfield administration notified the police immediately. Highland Heights Police began conducting an investigation. Based on the information I have received, this incident will likely involve multiple female Mayfield students…[the abuse] has occurred over several months and was limited to internet activity.”

As a result of his arrest, the offender resigned from his teaching job in June of 2021 and was indicted in July of 2021 by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on 22 charges, including ten counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, three counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor, four counts of importuning, two counts of compelling prostitution, and additional charges.