Police in Florida say a man was arrested during a prostitution sting while on his honeymoon as his new wife slept.
The 34-year-old allegedly thought he was going to meet someone to pay for sex, but instead, was met by an undercover police officer and arrested, police said.
According to the Hillsborough County Sherrif's Office, which operates in an area that includes Tampa, Florida, the man was part of over 170 arrests made by the department's "Human Trafficking Squad," the Miami Herald reported.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said most of those apprehended in the sting face charges related to solicitation of prostitution, sometimes with minors, police alleged.
During an Aug. 25 news conference, Sheriff Chronister walked out onto a stage with easels holding up enlarged displays with a grid of mug shots of arrested people. It was unclear if any of the people in the mug shots on display had been to trial or had retained a lawyer who could state their defense.
A call was placed to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office, but details about the cases weren't immediately available for release, citing ongoing proceedings.
Sheriff Chronister displayed the name, mug shot, and alleged details of the man arrested on his honeymoon in full screen on the department's press conference streamed and posted on Facebook.
Chronister, at one point during the press conference, spoke in a stern tone andsaid, "if you want to traffic another for sex, if you want to purchase another individual for sex, or you want to prey on the children of our community: Go to another county. Because the odds are against you that your photo is going to be on one of these boards," he said, gesturing to the visual displays showing mug shots on the stage.
The department's "Human Trafficking Squad" was formed on June 14, 2021.
