The worsening economy has seen some women resort to prostitution as means for survival. Oftentimes sex workers are controlled by pimps and are hiding in plain sight in a community. The police of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, decided to take action and made a string of arrests near tourist resorts along South Kings Highway. So far, police have arrested 21 women in the crackdown, 11 this week alone. The women range in age from 24-58 and face charges that include prostitution, and drug charges that included manufacture, possession, and advertisement for sale.Among those arrested was Tiffany Dawn Evans, 30, whose mug shot shows her milky eye. The mug shots of women arrested show that sex work takes a toll on their physical health. Across the United States and especially states of the Deep South, the rate of new STD and HIV infection is growing at a rapid rate. This not only indicates that more people are getting STDs but also that more people are engaging in unprotected sex. In South Carolina, the lifetime risk for HIV infection is 1-in-86 a startling number and in the South unfortunately not the highest.
Some of these women advertised their services online through apps and websites that have become a digital street corner. These websites make it easy for sex traffickers to market their victims to prospective customers. At any time of the day, a person can refine their search to their part of town and choose from a large selection of women. The ad often includes a graphic image and age; and rates are called donations or roses.
Police arrested the following people on Dec. 7: Tiffany Dawn Evans, 30; Ashley Janay Pearl, 25; Christy Lynn Patterson, 32; Michelle Renee Rowan, 24; Amisha Nichole Eller, 28; Jules Roy Hixenbaugh, 56; Gary Lewis Clark, 58; Desiree Dawn Mcgill, 35; Jose Juan Cruz-Toribo, 32; John Henry Brown, 58; Jose Torres-platas, 37; and Daniel Quardre Bryant, 23.
