Six charged after Hillman prostitution sting

July 14, 2017 at 12:04a.m.

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.” Baggett, who was arrested at Indianola and Hudson avenues about 5:45 p.m., reportedly had a crack pipe; Curry, who was arrested about 4:25 p.m. after flagging down an undercover officer in the 300 block of West Marion Avenue, reportedly had a bag of crack cocaine; and Provitt, who was arrested about 12:30 p.m. at Chicago Avenue and Summer Street, reportedly had a marijuana pipe.

Ingram, who has been charged with solicitation 28 times since 1994, according to municipal court records, was arrested about 12:30 p.m. in a Glenwood Avenue parking lot after an undercover officer picked her up on Hillman Street.

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. The women were arrested by other officers listening in once an offer of sex for money was made.

Reports said Jackson was driving on Hillman about 9:35 a.m. when vice officers who were just beginning their investigation saw Smith approach the car Jackson was driving and then get in. Reports said officers had seen Smith walking up and down the street several times before Jackson stopped for her. Police followed Jackson’s car, and they were both arrested after police pulled the car over.

Besides Ingram, Baggett has three prior solicitation convictions, all from 2006; and Provitt is on probation after being arrested on a solicitation charge in January, to which she entered a guilty plea in municipal court.

Slattery said there will be more efforts at coordinating specific enforcement efforts around Hillman Street to try and get the prostitution problem under control, although he noted that officers do make arrests whenever they see the activity when they are on patrol.

“We will be out to enforce zero tolerance on prostitution,” Slattery said.