PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday announced the arrest of six men in connection with a Lake County human trafficking sting, and one of the more powerful political leaders in the area is among those accused.
According to the AG's office, Eastlake City Council President John Meyers has been charged with solicitation, a third-degree misdemeanor. The 47-year-old pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Willoughby Municipal Court and posted a $5,000 bond.
Yost spoke with 3News today about the sting and the task force's work in stopping human trafficking.
"The message is don't buy sex in Ohio," he said. "If you are buying sex in Ohio, you should be aware we’ve got highly skilled investigators who are looking for you, they’re going to find you, and you’re going to be prosecuted, and rest assured, everybody in your community is going to know what you did."
Yost noted his Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force worked with both the Wickliffe Police Department and Lake County Sheriff's Office in this operation. In addition to the suspects, authorities say they also identified four potential victims of human trafficking, who were offered social services.
"We're going to make our communities as safe as we can by pursuing the people that are funding this modern day slavery," Yost said.
According to Chief Deputy Robert Izzo with the Lake County Sheriff's office, this operation took weeks of planning, and was executed Friday night in a hotel in Wickliffe. Chief Deputy Izzo said in the days leading up to Friday, law enforcement agents posed as those selling sex, advertising on websites and sharing their location.
"It works both ways, we have those who are posing as those who are selling sex, but we also have those who are posing as those looking for it," he said. "We try to really focus on finding potential victims of human trafficking."
Chief Deputy Izzo said the goal is to identify people who may be "trapped" without a way out, and in a vulnerable position. He said there were victims' advocates who were on scene to assist.
"It has an impact on all areas of life, and all walks of life, in every neighborhood," he said. "There are people engaging in this type of activity. Our focus is on those that are trying to take advantage of somebody who may be trapped in this lifestyle."
Meyers, who has represented Eastlake's Ward 2 since 2016, could face up to 60 days in jail if convicted. He is due to be arraigned on March 1.
3News has reached out to Meyers and has not heard back. Jason Kasunick, Ward 3 councilman in Eastlake, said he was surprised to hear the news of the president's arrest.
"I never thought that this was something that would be in his character, or that he would even be caught up in anything like that, so it was a complete surprise to me," Kasunick said.
Kasunick said Meyers has been a "pretty active member" of the city council, and said he has attended a lot of city events and is "involved in quite a bit."
"This is a complete surprise, but it certainly is not anything indicative of anything that's going on among public officials," Kasunick said.
The identities of the five other men arrested are as follows:
- Ronald Bevier, Columbia Station, 30
- Alvin Bridges, Euclid, 47 (also faces a felony drug possession charge)
- Andrew Champa, Wickliffe, 40
- Garrett Kellogg, Strongsville, 20
- Salvatore Longo, Beachwood, 44
In a statement, Detective Lieutenant James Coolick of the Wickliffe Police Department told 3News' Isabel Lawrence:
"Each of the 6 adult males were charged with Soliciting Prostitution, a 3rd degree misdemeanor. One of the males faced an additional charge of Possessing a Controlled Substance, a 5th degree felony, after he was found in possession of a small amount of cocaine. Each of the men were cooperative throughout the arrest process and were released with a summons to court, with the exception of the one charged with drug possession who was held in the city jail for a bond hearing. The Wickliffe Police Department recognizes the inherent danger associated with prostitution and the possibility that those involved could be victims of human trafficking. We were happy to help the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force with this operation and look forward to maintaining a partnership with both in the future."