Prostitution Sting Nets Multiple Arrests By Lake Elsinore Deputies

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A crackdown on prostitution took place in Lake Elsinore last month, and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported Wednesday that nine local residents were arrested during the sting.

The effort by the department's Lake Elsinore Special Enforcement Team took place Feb. 23. It followed a similar Feb. 15 crackdown in the Coachella Valley led by the department's La Quinta Special Enforcement Team.

In total, 19 people were arrested and four people were referred to victim services during the two operations, according to the sheriff's department.

The purpose of the stings was to "identify and arrest persons for prostitution, solicitation of prostitution, pandering and human trafficking," the department reported.