Four people have been arrested as part of an undercover underage prostitution investigation in Windsor.
Last month, members of the Windsor Police Morality Unit and OPP Intelligence-Led Joint Forces Strategy Anti Human Trafficking Unit teamed up to conduct an undercover prostitution operation in Windsor.
Police say the officers used a popular website to communicate with suspects attempting to offer money to an underage girl in exchange for sexual acts.
In online conversations, the suspects negotiated a specific price with an undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old girl and then agreed to meet at a location to engage in sexual activities.
When the suspects arrived at the designated meeting spot, they were promptly arrested by police.
The following individuals have each been charged with obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 years of age:
- Wissam Charaf, 28, of Windsor
- Stephen Merner, 59, no fixed address
- James Pernal, 46, of Essex
- Jianwen Yang, 61, of Windsor
"Protecting our children from exploitation is of paramount importance," said Windsor Police Inspector David DeLuca. "Through this joint operation, we successfully targeted individuals who not only solicited youth online but were prepared to move forward and commit those acts."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Windsor Police Morality Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4343. They can also submit tips anonymously to Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.catchcrooks.com.