Several men have been arrested at a Columbia County motel and charged with pandering in the past few days.
“We did receive some complaints of some prostitution and other activities going on at the location,” Columbia County sheriff’s Maj. Rick Whitaker said.
Acting on those complaints, Columbia County sheriff’s investigators conducted a two-day operation at the Super 8 motel at 456 Park West Drive near Interstate 20, which resulted in seven pandering arrests and two drug arrests.
On Thursday night Charles Bradford English, 33, of Thomson; Benjamin Thomas Tanner, 27, of Grovetown; and Winston James O’Connell, 31, of Augusta, were arrested after they solicited an undercover officer “to perform an act of prostitution,” according to sheriff’s reports.
“The suspects arrested basically offered money for sexual services,” Maj. Whitaker said.
On Friday night, Robert Wayne Barker, 55, of Augusta; Steve Craig Terry, 51, of Aiken; Nathan Kurt Heatwall Goering, 42 of Keysville, Ga; and Gilberto Alvarez-Martinez, 30, of Martinez, were arrested at the same location and charged with pandering, according to jail records.
All seven have been released from the Columbia County Detention Center on $1,600 bonds.
Two other men were arrested at the motel early this morning on drug charges. Chartez Franklin Kitchings, 30, and Marlin Boaz Landy, 26, both of Aiken, remain in the jail with bonds set at $16,700, according to jail records.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010. All Rights Reserved.
Pandering? Do dat be like pimpin'? There were three pander-ees working one motel? Day must o had all o day ladies dere.
Those men were just "spreading the wealth."
I don't think that's what they intended to spread, Charlie.
This can not be true!!!!
I know that prostitution is a crime, but to put law enforcement man hours on the oldest profession that will NEVER go away. Is something I consider pointless. I am sure there is more crimes taking place that are allot more worse than this. That could use those man hours. I am assuming all of this was taking place in a hotel room, since I have yet to see a "lady of the night" walking the street around that area.......
A crime is a crime is a crime. No matter the law was broken and the law acted as it should I guess stopping speeders should cease since it is such a harmless crime also. Get real.
I never understood why it's illegal either. Most of us sell our skills in one way or another. Why deny some woman who has a skill she can earn money with the right to sell it? It's a "victimless" crime. Do I like it or agree with the practice? No. But I don't like lawyers and used car salesmen either, but that's just my opinion. Our criminal justice system should be reserved for murderers, rapists, robbers, ect... Not these kind of people.
To add to my above post; I don't fault law enforcement for enforcing the law though. Their job is to enforce the laws. My argument would be with law makers, not law enfocement.
I don't disagree with you tnjsw I agree it is a crime. My point is the man hours put into this. Two days I think it could have been done in one day. YellowHammer I agree and also have the same dislikes.
Yup. Murderers and thieves wandering about mugging and robbing, yet, it is more important to arrest men for victimless crimes. I would rather my tax dollars be spent more effectively on real crime. Who were these men hurting?? Who were the prostitutes hurting? Consenting adults consenting to do the horizontal boogie. All over 21. Revenue collection.
LOL at John
were the prostitutes male? The article doesn't mention females.
I heard they posted ads on CraigsList. After looking on there, I seen about 50+ ads on there soliciting...why don't they do a 'Reverse Sting' and track down all the women selling 'Warm Hole'?
Apparently, the ones posting weren't involved. When the police spotted the add in Craig's List, they just sent over someone to be propositioned and paid, then the arrests were made. 7 times.
Nevada has the right idea. Government inspection and grading is part of their job. It maintains a clean work area and gives quality competition in an honorable field of endeavor. Always ask to see the current license.
So it's illegal to sell something that's perfectly legal to give away. Irony.
You are all forgetting Big Daddy Gov't knows best.
Want to hear another irony, MandJ? The scumbag tenants left one of my rental houses but not before stealing the chandelier and other items. The police and magistrate said this theft is not criminal since there was a lease in effect. It is a civil matter and I have to sue them to get anything. Now this brings me to another idea. For the next house I remodel, I just have to rent a nice house from someone else, steal all the lights and fixtures to put into my remodel house, and the landlord can't charge me criminally since there is a lease in effect between me and the landlord. What a country!
Big Daddy is really Big Massa'. The citizens are being enslaved by Big Daddy Business who is firmly in control of our government. It is no coincidence the big banks got the largest protion of the "stimulus" money. The large banks are controled by the rulers of our government. The pharmaceutical companies have their police force eliminate the drug dealing homie that stands on the corner and gives them competition. Look at the ads pushing drugs on television that claim to cure some made up desease that fits the symptoms/side effects of the chemicals they have created and call "good drugs". Israel was just given $2.8 Billion as a gift from Obama while jobless Americans are losing their homes. It ain't the sheeple that control the government in this country. The middle class has been eliminated and most of the citizens are ignorant, low class slaves that don't have a clue they don't have a clue. How do you keep a slave happy? You tell the slave he lives in a free country. You give the slave a vote in a farce called an election where all the candidates are puppets for the Massa, but most important; you never ever let the slave know he is a slave. You tell him he is fighting for freedom.
You mean fibromyalgia isn't real? Great post, JT.
I think this is crazy. Getting arrested for asking a woman if she wants to make a biz deal. Not like they were forcing anything or even DOING anything other than negotiating when they were arrested.
Should they also arrest every guy or gal at a bar that buys another a drink then tries a pick-up line?
Or drops an aspirin on the bar? ;-)
That actually works sometimes......you either get slapped (assault) immediately or end up with some company in your bedroom instead of a lonely candle and a romance novel like some spend their weekend nights.
Wax on, wax off?
All they were saying, is give piece a chance.
Tell me UncleStrom and ionlyknow, which specific laws would you like the deputies to enforce? Just murder? How about murder and rape? Is that enough for you? No? Then which laws should they enforce? The real answer is ALL OF THEM!
I'd begin with crimes with a victim.
Amazing that fibromyalia isn't real!! Oh thank goodness, now like magic will go away my swollen joints; clubbed fingers that can barely place a button in a button hole at times; facial nerve pain that sends uncontrollable tears streaming from my tear ducts (not crying from the excrutiating pain - just involuntary tear production caused by nerve inflammation); crippling pain in my legs and feet; exhaustion similar to those who have mononucleosis; blinding migraines. Yipee!! I can stop using hot soaking baths, swim therapy, alternating heat & ice packs, watching my diet, taking Aleve, Motrin, etc to treat fibromyalgia. All I had to do was read the post and POOF!! The non-medical experts have cured me. Amazing!! Can someone post that cancer isnt real, the recession is over and that Tiger isn't a sleeze? Oh we've discovered how to cure everything...posting makes it so. What idiots!!!
Begin? Sure, but they are sworn to uphold ALL laws. If you don't like the police to "waste" time on certain laws then lobby your state legislature to legalize it. If it's not legal it is a CRIME, victim or victimless.