8 Arrested In Fed. Way Prostitution Sting

FEDERAL WAY - Eight men looking for love in all the wrong places found themselves sojourning in jail after being caught in a police prostitution sting.

From 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, three female officers in street clothes took turns standing in the 33000 block of Pacific Highway South while backup officers watched from a nearby motel.

Three minutes after the operation began, they got their first catch. A man offered an officer money for sex, she agreed, and the squad in blue moved in.

How did the curbside Romeos react?

"There was universal surprise and disappointment," said Lt. Paul Rubenstein.

One apparently homeless man and his mother were standing in the vicinity when the man propositioned the officer.

"His mother got to stand there and watch him be arrested," Rubenstein said.

He said another man, in addition to a solicitation charge, is facing drug charges for allegedly possessing crack cocaine.

Rubenstein said a 15-year-old boy was cited for obstructing justice after he scared off two prospective customers by telling them about the sting. Rubenstein said police had asked him not to.

Federal Way's goal is "to make this location as uncomfortable as possible for those looking for prostitutes," Rubenstein said.

He said the department plans another operation. "But it won't be at the same location," he said.