Pike County is located in eastern Kentucky, and has a population of about 57,000 residents. Its county seat is Pikeville. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city of Pikeville and surrounding areas of the county.  This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. In 1998, the city of Pikeville passed an ordinance meant to prohibit the opening of local escort services as legal businesses. In 2015, investigations by the Pike County Sheriff’s Department led to the arrest of suspects on drug and prostitution charges.

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. In December 2016, investigators alleged that a Pike County man used Facebook to offer money to women in exchange for sex. The Pike County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation responding to complaints, and found that the man created an account of an alias on Facebook and sent messages to 13 women, offering money in exchange for sex. He was arrested and charged with one count of soliciting prostitution, and his identity was disclosed in news reports.