St. Thomas police arrested 20 men in a four-day ‘John’ sting operation earlier this month.
The men arrested range in age from 20 to 71 and were all from the Elgin, Oxford and Middlesex areas, police say.
The men are charged with one count of communication for the purpose of obtaining sexual services. One man is facing an additional charge of drug trafficking after police say he was attempting to sell cocaine to undercover officers.
The men were all released and will appear in court at a later date with a police recommendation to attend john school, which police explain is a diversion program sometimes offered by the court as an alternative to criminal prosecution for the clients of sex workers.
The St. Thomas Police Chief Chris Herridge is not releasing the names of the men charged, unlike the London police which names those accused.
“In keeping with our established practice of only releasing names of individuals who are recidivist (a convicted criminal who re offends, especially repeatedly) and are a threat to the public safety or property of the citizens of St. Thomas, I will not be releasing the names of the men arrested for attempting to purchase sex,” Herridge said in a news release.
