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By the glow of a hotel television set, a Charlotte woman accepted $200 cash for the hour she thought she'd spend with Brian Schettler. He said he had flown into town from Ohio on a business trip and found her information on Craigslist days earlier.
But Schettler, actually an undercover investigator with the drug enforcement unit in York County, S.C., stalled just long enough for a female police officer – his co-worker – to enter the hotel room at Fort Mill's Comfort Inn and arrest the woman.
The woman spent the night in jail on prostitution charges.
That bust happened last week, and two more followed it the same night. Altogether, county investigators have tracked and arrested eight people – men and women – through prostitution stings since January.
Drug unit Commander Mike Ligon said the two operations are in response to the heavy prostitution traffic that comes through the county, especially in the Carowinds Boulevard area. The many hotels near Interstate 77 pack themselves on weekends during race and football seasons and throughout the week with professionals who are alone on business trips.
But there's now a high-tech element to the world's oldest profession – Craigslist, the popular online barter board, has become the place to go for adult services across the United States, Ligon said.
He browsed the site from his desk Friday afternoon and found more than 400 women who had posted their availability for adult services in the Carolinas since Monday. During a typical sting operation, he might call them all.
“We're out to bust prostitutes,” Ligon said, “and the easiest way to get prostitutes is to get on Craigslist.”
Adult services are easy to browse on the site. A short disclaimer requires that users be 18 years or older to click through the pages of women who post photos, personal information and sometimes prices to potential customers.
Some women advertise themselves as all-American girls or college students. Others call their services “deep massages” or “friendly company.” Many are more explicit – women who want their bodies to “do all the talking,” one wrote.
Schettler, who has gone undercover in both stings this year, normally works on operations to keep drugs out of the county. Sting operations begin with a thorough scan through Craigslist posts, followed by dozens of phone calls. An investigator will set up places to meet, “like any John would,” Ligon said, then secure the deal in an environment the cops can control, such as a hotel room they've reserved for the night.
Once the cops have all the evidence they need on a hidden camera – money exchanged, condom requested and usually the woman undressing – a calm arrest is made.
Schettler said many times prostitutes will refuse to come across the border from North Carolina because they're aware of the police presence. Most of York County's prostitutes come from Charlotte, investigators say.
Working around the women's busy night schedules also can be an obstacle, Schettler said. Last week's four-person bust, which included one pimp, lasted from 6 p.m. to midnight.
Law enforcement and politicians across the United States have fought Craigslist CEOs to ban advertising for adult services on the site. South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has threatened to sue the company for the “harmful activities” the ads bring to the public.
