Creepy sex noises reportedly echoing through a San Diego massage parlor and a nearby church prompted a police investigation that led to four arrests and a raid of the suspected brothel.
Police said last week they received numerous complaints from businesses and residents located near the Ocean Spa massage parlor, ranging from reports of the aforementioned noises to locals seeing people having sex in cars, Fox News Digital reported.
The department’s vice unit launched an “extensive and exhaustive investigation,” city police said, which involved more than 125 hours of work.
During that time, they documented at least four cases in which employees offered sex to police officers, the outlet said. They also found nearly 1,300 online ads for salon sex that were posted in the past five years.
Ultimately, four people were arrested for prostitution and the city took legal action to shut down the shady business.
The city attorney is also imposing more than $100,000 in civil penalties and reimbursement of legal costs, Fox said.
“The owners of Ocean Spa have posed as a legitimate business for far too long,” City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a news release.
“Ocean Spa is a sex shop, not a massage parlor, and has no place in our community or anywhere else. We hope to hold these perpetrators accountable and restore peace to this complex.”
Some parts of the Golden State have long faced prostitution problems. cbs8.com Employees offered sex to police officers at least four different times, San Diego police said. cbs8.com
The city’s police chief, David Nisleit, added last week that his department “takes neighborhood complaints of this nature very seriously.”
“Our Vice Unit’s exhaustive investigation into the operation at businesses like Ocean Spa returns peace and civility to San Diego neighborhoods,” he wrote.
Parts of Southern California have battled prostitution hard for many years, although some locals say a 2022 law that repealed the ban on loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution has exacerbated the problem.
Advocates said the repeal would protect women and transgender adults from being targeted by police, Fox said.
“While I agree with the author’s intent and sign this legislation, we must be cautious about its implementation,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said as he signed it.
“My administration will monitor crime and prosecution trends for potential unintended consequences and will act to mitigate such impacts.”
The city is seeking $100,000 in civil penalties and reimbursement of legal fees, Fox said. cbs8.com
But some business owners have argued that it has emboldened prostitutes and their pimps.
“It’s always been pretty common for massage parlors to offer more than just massages,” the business owner said. “But with [the new law] “The whole industry is emboldened because they know nothing will happen.”
“Prostitution has increased steadily,” the businessman continued.
“Pimps know they can flood the streets with more girls, and with the busiest border crossing here in San Diego, sex trafficking is out of control.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn