A 20-year-old woman was arrested on charges of prostitution at the Salem Police Department.
Officials said Christal Smith, of Portland, had been communicating with undercover Salem Police Street Crimes Detectives through a website, phone and text messages for a couple of days.
Smith and the undercover detectives negotiated sex in exchange for money and set up a time to meet in Salem Jan. 11. Smith drove from Portland to Salem to meet the “John” at an unmarked door of the police department.
Salem Police spokesman Lt. David Okada said the crimes unit regularly monitors prostitution activity going on in the community.
The website where they intercepted Smith indicated a local tie, he said.
Okada said they do not often set up the meetings at the police station, but it worked out to schedule the meeting there.
“Everybody was surprised that it ended up the way it did,” he said.
In order to get to the door, she walked through the courtyard of Vern Miller Civic Center where the Salem Police Department signs are clearly visible and she walked past several uniformed officers, officials said.
When she approached the door, detectives arrested her and took her into custody. She was booked into the Marion County Jail on charges of prostitution and promoting prostitution.
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