Sex sting at Northwest suburban hotel leads to 21 arrests

Officers from the Cook County sheriff's office Special Victims Unit issued citations to 21 men and towed 17 vehicles after the men responded to online prostitution advertisements, the sheriff's office said Friday in a news release.

On Thursday, SVU officers set up meetings at a hotel in Northwest Cook County between the buyers who arranged meetings over the internet and an officer posing as a person selling sex. After the buyers agreed to exchange money for sex, SVU members waiting outside entered the rooms and took the individuals into custody.

All the men were issued a $1,000 citation for violation of the Cook County public morals nuisance ordinance, and the vehicles were towed under the ordinance, requiring the vehicle owner to pay $500 to reclaim possession.

"Sex trafficking leaves a trail of trauma in its wake," Sheriff Thomas Dart said in the news release. "Too many victims, most of whom are women, experience violence and abuse, and we are committed to pursuing those who perpetuate this trauma by seeking to purchase sex."