The HEAL Human Trafficking Task Force, working under the Ohio Attorney General’s Organized Crime Investigation Commission, carried out operations in Lorain and Erie counties on September 22 and September 25, 2025. The effort targeted both buyers of sex and those advertising sex for sale.
According to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, the purpose of the operations was to reduce demand for the sex trade, educate purchasers, and identify both potential traffickers and victims of human trafficking.
In Lorain County, eight men were arrested for soliciting prostitution. Two additional men were arrested on compelling prostitution charges after allegedly seeking sexual services from a juvenile. In Erie County, five men were arrested for soliciting prostitution. The task force also provided assistance to one female victim in Lorain County and two females in Erie County who were identified as advertising sexual services.
The task force is composed of detectives from Huron, Erie, Ashland, and Lorain counties, along with detectives from Perkins Township Police Department and Sheffield Village Police Department. Additional support during the operations came from Sheffield Lake Police Department, Sandusky Police Department, Amherst Police Department, Solon Police Department, the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Adult Parole Authority.
Victim services were provided by the Nord Center and Seeds of Empowerment, while a survivor of human trafficking assisted the task force to support those encountered during the operations.
In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office noted: “The HEAL Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to battling the inhumane crime of human trafficking and rescuing those victims.”
Members of the public with information regarding human trafficking are encouraged to contact Inspector Moran at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office via email at smoran@lcdtf.com.