One of the men, Shavar Manuel, a former top recruit for Florida State football, had a young child in the back seat of his car while he was soliciting for a sexual act, Hillsborough deputies say.

TOWN N COUNTRY – In an effort to curb human trafficking, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office led an undercover operation Monday (July 22) that resulted in the arrests of eight men.

Detectives conducted a reverse prostitution operation targeting “Johns” in the Town N Country area from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. About 25 men contacted the undercover deputies. Eight of them were arrested for prostitution-related offenses.

One of the men, Shavar Allen Manuel, 22, of Tampa, had a young child in the back seat of his car while soliciting for a sexual act. Manuel, a former top recruit for Florida State football, was arrested without incident and charged with one count each of Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, The HCSO Child Protective Investigations Division took custody of the child.

“To put an end to sex trafficking and identify victims of human trafficking, it’s very clear that something needs to be done about the buyers,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Without buyers, there is no business. For each John we take off of our streets, we believe we are potentially protecting a human trafficking victim.”

All of the men arrested were taken to Orient Road Jail. The list:

Alexander Miguel Escalante-Ponce, 31, of Tampa, Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution
Luis Fernando Castro, 65,  of Tampa, Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution
Carlos Montes, 63, of Tampa, Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution
Carlos Manual Torres, 29, of Tampa, Solliciting Another to Commit Prostitution
Shaun Michael Diaz, 39, of Tampa, Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution
Oswaldo Serrano, 53, of Tampa, one count each of Soliciting Another to Commit Prostitution, Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Sell, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Main photo shows Shavar Allen Manuel. Courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Hillsborough Sheriff | Crime | Prostitution | Arrests | Tampabay News | News Tampa

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