Trinity County is a county of about 16,000 residents in northwestern California. It is located along the Trinity River in the Salmon and Klamath Mountains and has no incorporated cities. Prostitution and sex trafficking have occured within the county.   at least one sex buyer arrest has occurred.

In March 2016, a man was arrested by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office after law enforcement received multiple complaints from women who reported he had been contacting them and “propositioning them for sexual acts for money.” The man was a defense attorney and former Trinity County Public Defender and was accused of soliciting prostitution from clients, homeless women, drug addicts, and others. Detectives conducted an undercover investigation using an audio wire to get enough information for a warrant charging the man with soliciting prostitution, engaging and agreeing to engage in prostitution, and sexual battery. Deputies and California Highway Patrol officers then conducted a traffic stop in which the man was charged with driving under the influence as well as the above misdemeanors. The man’s identity was released in news reports, and he was terminated from his position as a public defender.