5 women, 1 man arrested in Youngsgtown prostitution sting

YOUNGSTOWN

A series of complaints led to a crackdown on prostitution by the police department, resulting in the arrest Wednesday of five women and a man.

Arrested on charges of solicitation were Felicia Baggett, 47, of Norwood Avenue; Doris Curry, 24, of Tyrell Avenue; Erica Provitt, 29, of Williamson Avenue; Shirley Ann Ingram, 47, of West Evergreen Avenue; and Margo Smith, 34, of Akron.

Arrested on a charge of soliciting a prostitute was Joseph Jackson, 22, of Summer Street.

Jackson was issued a citation for the third-degree misdemeanor charge and was released. The women were all taken to the Mahoning County jail because they also had either drugs on them or a warrant. Two of them, Ingram and Baggett, were later released.

Lt. Gerard Slattery, head of the vice squad, said drugs and prostitution go “hand in hand.”

Ingram has been charged with solicitation 28 times since 1994, according to municipal court records.

All of those arrested, except Smith and Jackson, were arrested after flagging down an undercover officer who was equipped with a GPS tracker and a recording device to record their interactions.

Read more about the case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.