SAN ANTONIO -- The Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Department of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE), and the San Antonio Police Department held a news conference regarding the results of a recent human trafficking/prostitution sting which took place in San Antonio.
Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said the sting operation took place on January 11th on the South Side of San Antonio.
Among those arrested was Grant Allen, a Stinson Middle School teacher, was arrested for prostitution for allegedly soliciting a prostitute online. Christoper Bednarz, an EMT for a local ambulance company, was also arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor online and Salvador Ortiz, who worked at the front desk for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office was arrested for alleged solicitation of a prostitute.
The sting resulted in the arrests of 40 johns and 5 prostitutes. At least 100 officers were involved in this operation, including undercover officers that posed as prostitutes on the street and women or underage girls online.
"Operation Blue Ice took place on three fronts: street prostitution, online soliciation and focusing both on johns and those who provide those services," said Sheriff Pamerleau.
The goal behind the operation was to identify any possible human trafficking victims and target their traffickers.
