Fifteen people arrested in Lompoc prostitution sting operation
Authorities nabbed 15 people for prostitution-related crimes in a two-day undercover operation at a Lompoc Hotel.
The sting operation was conducted on Sept. 29 and Oct. 13, 2017 by personnel with the Lompoc Police Department, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
The joint operation began when authorities placed an advertisement on a public website known for online prostitution ads.
The following is from a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office statement:
The advertisement announced the availability of a female willing to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. Once the ad was placed, an undercover detective negotiated with an inquiring person or “John” a sexual act for an amount of money.
After the negotiation, the undercover detective gave the person the location of the hotel to meet for the sex act.
Once the person arrived at the location, the person was arrested for solicitation of prostitution.
All individuals arrested in the sting operation cooperated with law enforcement, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The following four people were arrested and booked into the Lompoc Police Department jail for solicitation of prostitution on Sept. 29, 2017:
Anibal Santos, 30, Buellton resident Victor Juarez, 38, Oxnard resident Rigoberto Ramirez, 31, Carpinteria resident Lester Keebler, 54, Lompoc resident
The following eight men were arrested and booked into the Lompoc Police Department jail for solicitation of prostitution on Oct. 13, 2017:
Mark Kempthorne, 33, Lompoc resident Albert Sicoli, 60, Santa Ynez resident Marcos Flores, 22, Lompoc resident Thomas Lee, 21, Isla Vista resident Randell Gonzales, 56, Lompoc resident Jose Bedolla, 33, Lompoc resident Sergio Lopez, 28, Lompoc resident Pedro Rico, 60, Lompoc resident
The following two men were arrested during the Oct. 13 sting operation and booked for additional narcotic related charges since the suspects had negotiated a sex act in exchange for methamphetamine, according to the Sheriff’s Office:
Kenneth Batiste, 35, Lompoc resident Robert Forren, 54, Lompoc resident.
Batiste was booked for solicitation of prostitution, possession of meth for sale, transportation of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, and conspiracy. Forren was booked for solicitation of prostitution, possession of meth for sale, transportation of meth, and conspiracy.
The 15th suspect, 22-year-old Santa Maria resident Flavio Gomez, was arrested during the Oct. 13 sting operation when he arrived at the hotel to have, what he believed, sex with a person under the age of 18, the Sheriff’s Office said. Gomez was booked on charges of arriving to meet with a minor for a lewd purpose and for solicitation of prostitution.
The two-day sting operation was part of ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking in Santa Barbara County.
