A Utah man was arrested for exploiting prostitution during a human trafficking sting over the weekend in Salt Lake County.
The Pimp
According to a bookings report from the Salt Lake County Jail, 28 year old Roger Dewayne Jessop was arrested on Friday for exploiting prostitution, a third degree felony. Police reports state Jessop was arrested at a hotel after an undercover agent arrived to an arranged meeting with a prostitute and observed that Jessop was the one running the show, causing the female prostitute to offer sex in exchange for money.
Exploiting prostitution
Utah Code 76-10-1305 states: “A person is guilty of exploiting prostitution is the person;
a) Procures a person for a place of prostitution;
b) Encourages, induces, or otherwise purposely causes another to become or remain a prostitute;
c) Transports a person into or within this state with a purpose to promote that person’s engaging in prostitution or procuring or paying for transportation with that purpose;
d) Not being a child or legal dependent of a prostitute, shares the proceeds of prostitution with a prostitute pursuant to their understanding that he is to share therein; or
e) Owns, controls, manages, supervises, or otherwise keeps, alone or in association with another, a place or prostitution or a business where prostitution occurs or is arranged, encouraged, supported, or promoted.”
Sexual solicitation or sex trafficking
Those who “offer or agree to commit any sexual activity with another person for a fee ( . . . )“ are guilty of sexual solicitation, a class B misdemeanor. These charges do not apply if the person offering sex is a victim and doing said acts against their will. It wasn’t noted the age of the prostitute being pimped out by Jessop or whether or not she was a willing participant, however multiple female victims of human trafficking were noted as being rescued during the operation in Salt Lake County. To report information on a possible situation of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. For legal aid regarding prostitution charges contact a criminal defense attorney.