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Log In Subscribe There was a point last weekend where it appeared there might not be enough law enforcement personnel on hand to deal with the surge of would-be customers converging on a Rohnert Park motel to meet with a fictional prostitute named Amber. Sheriff's deputies scooted one cuffed man into the bathroom of Amber's room as a newcomer arrived at the door and was swiftly surrounded.
His decoy "date" hovered in the door to an adjacent room, where a detective was crouched over a computer, managing incoming texts and online traffic. An additional detective in the bathroom of the second room was on the phone, negotiating services and prices with another prospective client responding to Amber's online ad. Pairs of investigators questioned other suspects and completed paperwork in two rooms downstairs. After several hours, 10 men, aged 26 to 62, were in custody, including one suspected of coming for Amber's year-old "sister," describing his tastes thusly: "I don't want to sound creepy, but the younger the better.
LemMon declined comment on his arrest. The Press Democrat identified him because of his public role over two decades, during which he served on a panel of temporary judges and made three bids for the judicial bench.
A newspaper reporter was invited to observe. Participants said the sting reflected changing views on prostitution in the North Bay. Growing attention to human trafficking and the role of abuse and exploitation in the sex business has reframed the discussion, giving rise to new styles of intervention and partnerships with nonprofit social agencies working to aid those who want to break free of prostitution.
