Authorities in Washington County arrest four in underage sexual solicitation sting
The Washington County Sheriff's Office's and Maryland State Police have charged four men with sexual solicitation of a minor after operating a multi-day sting operation over the past several weeks, authorities said Friday.
The sheriff's office joined with the Maryland State Police Criminal Investigation Division and Child Recovery Unit and other authorities in a crackdown on human trafficking and child sex solicitation, which has been ongoing problem in the county.
Part of the reason behind the trend is the proximity to Interstates 81 and 70, which intersect in the Halfway area, authorities have said.
In what was termed a "great success," 11 people were detained in the recent sting, including five adult prostitutes, according to a news release Friday from the sheriff's office and Sgt. Carly Hose, spokeswoman for the agency.
The Washington County Health Department offered the prostitutes a chance to get out of their lifestyle through a "harm reduction program," according to the release and Hose.
The two remaining individuals were picked up on outstanding failure to appear warrants, Hose said.
Sexual solicitation of a minor is a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in state prison and/or a $25,000 fine.
More Tri-State news: Teen sex trafficking case involves transmission of images, videos and area hotel meet-ups
How were these people caught ?
In the sting, officers with the sheriff's office posed online as a 14-year-old girl or boy.
On multiple occasions the officers started an online chat using the free site, Omegle, which lets users socialize online without registering an account, according to charging documents. The site pairs people in one-on-one chat sessions where they can talk anonymously.
In at least three of the cases, the conversation moved to Snapchat where chatting occurred and delved into what the adult men wanted to do with the "girl," court records state. This included sexual acts and in at least two cases, a defendant sent the "teen" a picture of his genitalia.
The "girl" and suspects would arrange to meet up in a park in Washington County, where police would arrest the suspect, according to charging documents.
One of the defendants, while being arrested, pleaded with police because he didn't want to lose his job, charging documents state. The man told police that if they let him go, he would never make such a mistake again.
In another case, when the police arrested a man in the sting, the man immediately started crying, charging documents state. Police found two condoms, one in the man's pocket, and another in the vehicle.
What parents can do: How can Washington County address sex trafficking? Local residents learn how to take action
Where are the individuals now ?
At a bond hearing Wednesday in Washington County District Court for two of the men initially charged through the sting operation, Assistant State's Attorney Cyrus Jaghoory asked the judge to hold the Virginia men without bond because they both had traveled across state lines to meet up with who they believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
Their defense attorneys, a public defender and a private attorney, asked the judge to consider release, a nominal bond and GPS monitor or home detention.
But Judge Victoria J. Lobley said she found both men to be a danger to the community if released and ordered them to be held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center.
Those men were Zahir Bilal Toloa, 24, of Springfield, Va., and Pradyumna S.K. Angalkudru, 24, of Ashburn, Va., according to charging documents.
Also charged with sexual solicitation of a minor through the sting operation were:
Sawyer Michael Loessberg, 29, of Fairfax, Va.
Kevin Anthony Gravely, 28, of the Smithsburg area.
Judge Mark D. Thomas, on Thursday, ordered both Loessberg and Gravely to be held without bond, according to online court dockets.
Why is teen sex solicitation a problem here ?
Washington County is known as a sex trafficking hub for minors and adults, according to an in-depth story examining the problem that was published by The Herald-Mail last September.
Authorities said the county is a "unique sweet spot" for sex trafficking because the intersection of Interstates 81 and 70 here allows meet-ups to be easily arranged and for the participants to get out of the area quickly.
Earlier in the year, a West Virginia woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Martinsburg, W.Va., in a child sex-trafficking case that involved creation of sexually explicit videos and photographs of teenage girls for cash and lining them up for sex with men at Hagerstown area hotels, according to federal authorities.
Regarding one of the men who was investigated, a license plate reader detected that a plate belonging to him was in the area of hotels close to the Valley Mall 28 times from January 2021 to December 2022, according to an FBI agent.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Maryland authorities nab suspects in underage sex solicitation sting
