BELTON, Texas (FOX 44) – A prostitution sting in Bell County has resulted in ten arrests.
The Bell County Sheriff’s Department – with the Bell County Organized Crime Unit, the Fort Hood Military Police, and the Fort Hood Criminal Investigations Division – concluded a Human Trafficking Suppression operation on Thursday. Public Information Officer James Stafford says that on Wednesday, February 22 and Thursday, February 23, digital ads were posted to known websites promoting prostitution.
Over the course of two days, officers responded to more than 700 communications from 73 different contacts in response to the ads. On the first day of the operation, six individuals were arrested. An additional four individuals were arrested on the second day of the operation.
Stafford says that each of the arrested individuals listed below was charged with Soliciting a Prostitute – a state felony in Texas. Additionally, one of the individuals received a charge of resisting arrest.
- 44-year-old Christopher Bell, of Temple
- 23-year-old Jamal Davis, of Killeen
- 37-year-old Shawn Ginn, of Killeen
- 59-year-old Steven Gwynn, of Eddy
- 47-year-old Vicente Pereira, of Killeen
- 32-year-old Luis Ramirez, of Killeen
- 36-year-old Danny Reed, of Georgetown
- 26-year-old Kevin Roe, of Killeen
- 55-year-old Brian Whipple, of Killeen
- 77-year-old Clifford Visel, of Round Rock
Each of these defendants’ arrests have been reviewed by the Bell County District Attorney’s Office, and all criminal charges have been accepted. Stafford says the Sheriff’s Department is also concerned with the potential connection between prostitution and human trafficking.
Bell County residents who suspect or have knowledge of human trafficking or are in need of assistance themselves can reach out locally to Aware Central Texas at 254-813-0968, or can nationally report by calling the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or by texting “Help” to 233733 (BEFREE).
