Santa Clara woman arrested for prostitution during massage sting operation

ST. GEORGE — St. George Police arrested a Santa Clara woman and charged her with prostitution after she allegedly agreed to perform a sex act on an undercover officer.

Police investigators responded to an online advertisement for massages in the St. George area, booking an appointment with 33-year-old Janice Trujillo, the woman whom police claim posted the ad, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Fifth District Court.

In court documents, police said Trujillo responded to a text the undercover officers sent and agreed to provide a massage in exchange for money.

“Janice (Trujillo) was given a specific hotel to respond to in order to meet up and perform the massage,” the St. George police officer wrote in the affidavit. “Once at the hotel, Janice was given the hotel room. When Janice went to the room, the undercover officer provided her with the money in exchange for the massage. While performing the massage, Janice also agreed to perform a specific sex act.

“Janice was arrested and under Miranda, she denied having a massage license.”

Police booked Trujillo into the Washington County Jail and have charged her with one class A misdemeanor count of operating a massage business without a license, and prostitution, a class B misdemeanor.

Trujillo was released from jail after posting $2,630 bail.

Janice Trujillo, 33, of Santa Clara, booking photo taken in Washington County July 11, 2019 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Last month local investigators arrested seven men and one woman in a prostitution sting that began May 30 after responding to various online advertisements for services posted by undercover officers posing as prostitutes seeking customers.

Read more: 4 more arrested in prostitution sting, including 2 offering to engage in a sex act for a fee

In December, authorities arrested six men in Southern Utah Friday and Saturday during a prostitution sting where an officer was posing as a female escort and posted  “several ads” online offering sexual services in St. George.

This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

 

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