The Attorney General’s Office says 15 potential victims were identified and three recovered. Logan County’s district attorney provided additional details.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Five men were arrested during an operation at a Guthrie hotel following human trafficking training involving state and local law enforcement agencies.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said in a revised news release that investigators identified 15 potential victims and recovered three, who were offered services.
Logan County District Attorney Jeremiah Gregory provided a different account. He said the 15 were identified through online profiles and were not contacted in person.
Gregory said three other people were contacted separately and offered services, but law enforcement determined that they were not victims of sex trafficking. He also said the five men arrested are not accused of trafficking or holding any of the people identified online.
According to Gregory, the men responded to fictitious online advertisements offering prostitution services and went to a hotel room where officers were waiting.
Guthrie police arrested Carlos Rubio De Santiago, Kenneth Blevins, Victor Najera, Elwyn Patmon and Johnny Goforth. Gregory said each was charged with engaging in or soliciting prostitution and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.
The charges are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The operation followed training led by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Response Unit and Skull Games Solutions. The Guthrie and Jones police departments and the Logan and Payne county sheriff’s offices participated.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect revisions to a Sept. 14 news release from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. The original release said 15 potential victims were recovered. The revised release says 15 were identified and three were recovered. Information from Logan County District Attorney Jeremiah Gregory was also added.
