Nine men were arrested for prostitution and related charges in Howard County Wednesday.
Howard County Police arrested the men for soliciting prostitution at a hotel in the 9800 block of Washington Boulevard in Laurel. As part of the operation, detectives placed fake ads on the website Backpage, a site often used for prostitution.
Men who called the number in the ad spoke with undercover female officers, who provided a meeting location upon the caller’s request. When the men arrived and offered money for sex, they were arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution and disorderly conduct
Those arrested include:
- Gary Bennett, 65, of Rockville
- Roscoe Coles, 36, of Woodbridge, Va.
- Geremias DeSouza, 31, of Laurel
- Curtis Eshelman, 55, of West River
- Alejandro Jiatz, 49, of Burtonsville
- Edgard Martinez Melendez, 41, of Laurel
- Bharat Patel, 59, of Laurel
- Edwin Shim, 47, of Laurel
- Michael Weiss, 49, of Gambrills
The operation was part of Howard County’s ongoing effort to combat prostitution, human trafficking and related offenses.
