Ames Man Charged in Metro Prostitution Sting In November Pleads Guilty

William Lee Woodruff, 49, of Ames, who was charged in a large prostitution sweep last fall has pleaded guilty to a prostitution charge.

Woodruff, who was charged for prostitution in Polk County, was one of 48 people charged in the case. Those facing charges included residents from Urbandale, West Des Moines, Waukee, Des Moines and other cities in central Iowa.

The charges stemmed from five cases of prostitution logged in Urbandale, according to Urbandale police reports. At the time Officer Randy Peterson, the Urbandale Police Department's spokesman, referred all comments to state and federal authorities leading the larger investigation, which includes multiple Iowa cities.

The Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force was the lead agency on the operation.

Most of the arrests were made at one location, said Sgt. Rich Blaylock of the Polk County sheriff’s office at the time. However, officials did not reveal the name of place where the arrests were made at the time the results of the sting were announced.

According to records available online, Woodruff's prostitution charge stems from an Oct. 17 incident. He pleaded guilty Jan. 14 and received a deferred judgement, a $625 fine and was ordered to serve 35 hours of community service, according to court records available online. At the time charges were filed, Woodruff was the CEO of a Fort Dodge Construction company.