A Tiffin man was arrested by Lorain County sheriff’s deputies Saturday in a statewide human trafficking sting that resulted in 122 arrests, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Thursday.
Matthew L. Hoke, 42, was booked into the Lorain County Jail at 1:17 p.m. on May 16 on one count of engaging in prostitution, a third-degree misdemeanor under Ohio law, according to sheriff’s office records. He posted a $2,000 cash/surety bond and was released the same evening.
The charge is an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.
The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency for the H.E.A.L. Human Trafficking Task Force, one of eight regional task forces that took part in Operation Spring Cleaning. The H.E.A.L. Task Force’s operation included a search warrant executed at King Me Spa, 35111 Royalton Road in Grafton, where deputies seized $18,622 in cash. The sheriff’s office did not specify where Hoke was arrested.
The statewide operation ran May 13-20 in 15 Ohio counties and was led by Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. Of those arrested, 84 men were charged with engaging in prostitution or solicitation in the misdemeanor-level portion of the sting. The remaining 38 faced felony counts including promoting prostitution, compelling prostitution, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, trafficking in persons and drug-related offenses.
Law enforcement executed 15 search warrants in connection with suspected trafficking at massage parlors in Akron, Columbus, Dublin, Grafton, Powell, Toledo and Willoughby, the attorney general’s office said. More than $120,000 in cash was seized along with evidence for ongoing investigations.
Officers referred 42 human trafficking survivors to healthcare and social-services organizations during the weeklong operation.
“This operation brings us to 1,065 arrests since our statewide stings began in 2019,” Yost said in a statement. “It shows the problem isn’t going away, but perpetrators are getting increasingly skittish as our message reverberates – Don’t buy sex in Ohio.”
Operation Spring Cleaning is the ninth statewide trafficking sting Yost has led since 2019. The announcement comes just over two weeks before Yost resigns as attorney general on June 7 to take a job as vice president of strategic research and innovation at Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal organization. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Public Safety Director Andy Wilson to serve as interim attorney general through the end of the year. Voters will choose Yost’s successor in November, when Republican state Auditor Keith Faber faces Democrat John Kulewicz, an Upper Arlington councilman.
How to report suspected human trafficking
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office operates a statewide tip line for reporting suspected sex and labor trafficking. Tips can be submitted by calling 844-END-OHHT (844-363-6448), texting “ENDOHHT” to 847411, downloading the END OHHT app, or submitting information online at ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ENDOHHT. In an emergency, call 911.
