Seven Arrested in Prostitution Sting in Santa Rosa Thursday

By Bay City News Service

Six women and a male pimp were arrested this week for soliciting prostitution, a Santa Rosa police sergeant said.

The arrests on Tuesday were part of a sting operation targeting Internet advertising of in-call and out-call prostitution, Sgt. Mike Tosti said.

"Detectives were specifically targeting human sex trafficking involving victimization of young people for the profit of their traffickers and pimps,"

Tosti said in a statement. Police said Mike Lavella Turner, 19, of Oakland, was acting as a pimp and drove two females to a Santa Rosa hotel where one of the females solicited an undercover officer for prostitution. Turner fled in a vehicle when detectives tried to stop him in the hotel parking lot but he was eventually arrested, Tosti said. Detectives found a 17-year-old girl inside the vehicle as well as a loaded firearm and evidence linking Turner to human trafficking, according to Tosti. Turner was arrested on suspicion of pimping and pandering, human trafficking, willful cruelty to a minor, possession of a loaded firearm and on outstanding felony warrants, Tosti said.

Arrested or cited for prostitution were Jennifer Marie Stroud, 32, of Santa Rosa; Trysha Drum, 22, of Merced; Brittany Nicole Millman, 20, of Richmond; Fuey Saechao, 20, of Oakland; Brittany Eran Mares, 29, of Benicia and Marina Venza, 20, of Santa Rosa.