122 people arrested in Ohio human trafficking crackdown: "Operation Spring Cleaning"

More than 100 people were arrested during a statewide human trafficking crackdown in Ohio, the attorney general announced on Thursday. 

Attorney General Dave Yost said "Operation Spring Cleaning" resulted in the arrest of 122 people who tried to buy sex in Ohio, including from minors. 

Yost said 38 people were arrested on felony charges like promoting prostitution, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and trafficking in persons. Eighty-four "johns" were charged with engaging in prostitution and solicitation, the attorney general said. And 42 human trafficking survivors were referred by law enforcement to healthcare and social services organizations.

The weeklong sting also included executing 15 search warrants in connection with suspected human trafficking at massage parlors in communities like Akron, Columbus and Toledo. More than $120,000 was seized during those searches, Yost said. 

"This operation brings us to 1,065 arrests since our statewide stings began in 2019," Yost said in a press release. "It shows the problem isn't going away, but perpetrators are getting increasingly skittish as our message reverberates – Don't buy sex in Ohio."

Those charged are from Ohio as well as other states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. One of the people arrested is a Cleveland firefighter, and another is a retired Cleveland firefighter, Yost said. 

The Ohio Attorney General's Office said dozens of law enforcement agencies and non-government organizations joined Operation Spring Cleaning. The statewide blitzes began as small-scale stings in 2019 and have grown to leverage more than 100 law enforcement agencies, Yost's office said.