IMPD, Greenwood police team for prostitution sting

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) - With heightened focus on sex crimes and human trafficking in the run-up to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis next month, two police departments teamed Tuesday in an undercover sting targeting transsexual prostitution services advertised on a widely used website.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Vice Squad contacted Greenwood Police Department on Tuesday regarding an ad on a website used for escort/prostitution services. They believed the person who posted the ad was offering services in the Greenwood area, as an undercover detective had contacted the listed number and was directed to the Red Roof Inn, 110 Sheek Road, Greenwood.

The two departments then arranged an undercover operation later that afternoon, contacted the suspect again and arranged a meeting at the motel. A person appearing to be a Hispanic female met them there and agreed to perform a sex act for money, police said. At that point, the suspect, actually identified as Alannah Gonzalez, 24, a male from Corpus Christi, Texas, was arrested.

The ad that sparked the sting was listed in the transsexual section of the website, and Gonzalez told police he had undergone multiple breast implant procedures.

Another person was found hiding - nearly naked - in the bathroom at Gonzalez’s room at the motel, but Gonzalez told police he was just a friend, and he was released without charges.

Gonzalez was arrested on a preliminary charge of prostitution and was taken to the Johnson County Jail, but was released on bond.

The joint undercover operation comes as state officials and lawmakers have their sights set on curtailing the commercial sex trade in the run-up to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Feb. 5. During a law enforcement training session last fall, state Attorney General Greg Zoeller noted big events such as the Super Bowl can lead to an increased demand for the illegal sex trade, and some of people used to fill that demand are the victims of human trafficking.

Earlier this month the Senate approved a bill to toughen penalties for trafficking, particularly for cases involving children younger than 16.