Eleven suspected prostitutes swept up in Temecula sting

TEMECULA — At the direction of recently elected Sheriff Chad Bianco, Temecula Sheriff Station’s Special Teams coordinated and conducted a prostitution sting that targeted men and women soliciting sexual favors in exchange for money in the city of Temecula, this week.

The Tuesday, Nov. 26 vice operation resulted in eleven people being arrested for prostitution and other charges, according to officials. Those arrested included residents of Temecula, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Fallbrook, Valley Center, and Oceanside.

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During Tuesday’s sting, deputies and others assigned to Temecula Sheriff Station’s Special Teams worked in conjunction with personnel from the Perris Sheriff’s Station and Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force members in the Temecula area “to improve quality of life, deter prostitution and human trafficking as it pertains to sex trafficking,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Menchaca said after the successful operation.

During the day-long sting, officials conducting the operation arrested the following eleven suspected prostitutes, who had all allegedly offered to exchange sexual services for money. All those arrested were booked at Murrieta’s Cois Byrd Detention Center.

• Michael Miranda, 31, of Valley Center – arrested for prostitution
• Dajene Corlley,  24, of Menifee – arrested for prostitution 
• Adrian Davis, 22, of Menifee – arrested for prostitution
• Jeisson Cantor-Diaz, 30, of Lake Elsinore – arrested for prostitution
• Suspect Info Removed
• Joseph Vitanza, 38, of Temecula – arrested for prostitution
• Mario Paz, 37, of Fallbrook – arrested for prostitution
• Madison Hitzke,  24, of Temecula – arrested for prostitution
• Jamie Smith, 27, of Oceanside – arrested for prostitution
• Michael Newman, 46, of Menifee-  arrested for prostitution and possession of illegal narcotics
• Unnamed Suspect

Eleven alleged prostitutes were arrested during a Temecula sting operation that targeted men and women soliciting sexual favors in exchange for money. RSO booking photos

Million Kids CEO and Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Training and Outreach Coordinator Opal Singleton recently told RCNS that operations such as this one are an important and integral part of stopping human and sex trafficking in Riverside County and throughout the world.

“Sex trafficking is a significant issue in Riverside County,” Singleton, who authored “Seduced: The Grooming of America’s Teenagers”, explained.

“Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the US and California is the number one state for sex trafficking cases,” Singleton continued. “Our County is fortunate to have an Anti Human Trafficking Task Force that focuses finding and stopping predators who prey on vulnerable victims.”

“All too often criminals lure in innocent young people who have little understanding of grooming and recruitment and they fall prey to pimps and predators who take advantage of them,” explained Singleton; who said the most vulnerable targets for predators are foster, homeless, and runaway kids, along with pregnant teens. 

“However, any young person that is connecting with a stranger through social media can easily be recruited by a predator,” said Singleton.

Million Kids is a Riverside based non profit that has now trained more than 250,000 leaders on how predators operate and how to keep our kids safe. To learn more about human and sex trafficking in Riverside County and how to talk to your children or other youth about how to protect themselves against predators visit Million Kids online or on Facebook.

Anyone with questions regarding this operation or questions about human trafficking are encouraged to call Deputy Vigil at the Temecula Sheriff’s Station at (951) 696-3119 or the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force at (855) 758-3733. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.