PORTLAND, Maine — Portland police arrested 11 men Friday as the result of an undercover prostitution sting, Sgt. Robert Martin said Friday in a news release.
Each was charged with engaging a prostitute, a Class E crime, he said.
According to Martin, the Portland Police Department conducted a prostitution enforcement detail targeting men who
solicited an undercover female police officer seeking money in exchange for sex.
The arrests occurred between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. in a Portland hotel.
Arrested and taken to Cumberland County Jail were: Andrew Doolittle, 29, Belgrade; Roderick Dewar, 41, West Newbury, Massachusetts; William Schulz, 64, Portland; Gregory Gould, 58, Portland; Ronald Marcotte, 71, New Gloucester; Brian Giddinge, 27, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Alec Cunningham, 26, Long Island, Maine; Benjamin Maxfield, 40, Parsonsfield; Daniel Levine, 34, Portland; Ronald Tustin, 56, Yarmouth; and Cameron Leblanc, 25, Kennebunk.
Portland police recognize that the issue of human sex trafficking has no jurisdictional boundary and is a state and national epidemic, the news release state.
The street operation is designed to target the demand side of prostitution and human sex trafficking. The meaning of demand in reference to this operation is the “john” or customer in the sex-for-money scheme.
Portland police also said it is widely recognized johns are the driving force in human sex trafficking, supplying the money that drives this illegal industry.
To provide information anonymously, text the keyword “GOTCHA” plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), visit Portland Police Department’s website at www.portland-police.com and click ” Submit an Anonymous Crime Tip” or call the department’s Crime Tip line at 874-8584.