PRESCOTT, Ariz. - Three Prescott-area men face child prostitution charges after a sting operation involving several law enforcement agencies led to their arrests.
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Department said in a news release that June 21, the men met undercover officers who were pretending to be prostitutes in a Yavapai County motel room.
Prescott's Clemente Martinez, 37, and Prescott Valley's Ronald Lowman and Johxen Poquento, 61 and 35, respectively, were arrested on one count each of engaging in child prostitution. Lowman was released on $5,000 bond while Martinez and Poquento remain in custody. Sheriff's officials say Martinez was out on bond in an unrelated case and is under an immigration hold.
According to the sheriff's office, Martinez solicited a person he believed to be 14 years old for sex. Lowman and Poquento both solicited people they believed to be 16.
after soliciting a person he believed was 14 years old for sex. He remains in custody on a $5,000 bond. Martinez was out on bond regarding an unrelated case and is also under an immigration hold.
Officials say human trafficking is the second-most prolific crime in the world, second only to narcotics trafficking in terms of revenue generated. The victims of human trafficking are usually teenage girls who, for various reasons, are forced to engage in repeated sexual assaults for the profit of a “pimp” soliciting customers.
