POLICE PROSTITUTION STING NETS ELEVEN ARRESTS
Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that Harrisburg Police have arrested 11 suspects on a variety of prostitution-related charges stemming from a police sting using the popular website www.craigslist.com.
Reed said the CraigsList website encompasses local listings for over 400 U.S. cities and over 30 countries. The site features free posting for classified advertisements under categories such as housing, sales, services, personals, gigs, and resumes. Through an undercover operation, Harrisburg Police detectives sought out prostitutes and those soliciting prostitutes within the City of Harrisburg over the last two months.
Undercover officers arranged to meet each of the suspects at a designated location within the City. Upon meeting each of the suspects and verbally agreeing to certain monetary exchange terms, Harrisburg Police arrested each of the individuals for the appropriate prostitution-related crime.
This is the first such sting operation conducted by Harrisburg Police using an online classified website such as CraigsList and all defendants advertised on the website.
Included among the CraigsList arrests are:
- Payonna Williams, 21, of the 100 block of Pond Meadow Court in Harrisburg. Williams was arrested on August 11, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Nancy Snyder, 22, of the first block of South 13th Street in Harrisburg. Snyder was arrested on December 5, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Omayra Mercedes, 22, of the 1400 block of South 15th Street in Harrisburg. Mercedes was arrested on December 7, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Lisa Velez, 37, of the 800 block of Douglas Street in Reading, PA. Velez was arrested on December 12, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Tiffany Warren, 21, of the 600 block of West Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, PA. Warren was arrested on December 12, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Daniel Kravitz, 36, of the 700 block of Goddard Drive in York, PA. Kravitz was arrested on December 13, 2007 and was charged with patronizing a prostitute.
- Torrana Tainan, 23, of the 5000 block of Trent Road in Harrisburg. Tainan was arrested on December 13, 2007 and was charged with prostitution.
- Timothy Alvey, 37, of the 6000 block of Three Rivers Drive in Harrisburg. Alvey was arrested on December 15, 2007 and was charged with patronizing a prostitute.
- Patricia James, 22, of the 500 block of Maclay Street in Harrisburg. James was arrested in December 2007 in Swatara Township and was charged with prostitution.
- Crystal Polite, 20, of the 1800 block of Brigg Street in Harrisburg. Polite was arrested on January 11, 2008 and was charged with prostitution after advertising herself on www.craigslist.com.
- Tavonia Silmon-Gray, 26, of the 5000 block of Willow Street in Lancaster, PA. Silmon-Gray was arrested on January 23, 2008 and was charged with prostitution after answering an advertisement on www.craigslist.com. Silmon-Gray is originally from Virginia Beach, VA. Silmon-Gray was also charged with aggravated assault on police, recklessly endangering another person, false ID to law enforcement, un-sworn falsification to police, identity theft, fleeing and attempting to elude police, and a variety of vehicle law violations after she led both Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania State Police on a high-speed chase along I-83 southbound as she attempted to elude capture.
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