PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) – A Washington state man is accused of promoting prostitution after he was caught by undercover officers searching for johns on the website BackPage.com, according to court documents.
Nicholas Clifton Jones appeared in court on Friday and was arraigned on two counts of promoting prostitution and one count of attempting to promote prostitution. He pled not guilty.
Officers with the Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Trafficking Unit arrested him on September 3. The investigation began when officers created a post titled “Let ME fulfill ALL your FANTASIES *** Lets have some FUN together *** – 18,” according to court documents filed by Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Joel Petersen. The officers included a cellphone number in the ad.
Officers received a text message from a cellphone registered to a 360 area code. A “selfie” was sent to the officers’ phone of a white male who was wearing a blue shirt and who appeared to be smoking, court document state. The officers later identified the person in the picture to be Jones.
When police called Jones – they were undercover – and he reportedly identified himself as “Nick,” records show. Jones told police that he would drive “Point A (to) Point B, no questions asked,” Petersen wrote. Jones added that he would “wait and study” in his car while the supposed sex acts occurred, court documents state.
According to court documents, Jones told the undercover officers that he had “driven ‘independents’ who ‘just want a driver’ (sic) they don’t want like a pimp or, you know what I mean?” Jones told police that he would charge $30 for the ride.
The undercover officers – assuming the role of an escort – texted Jones and said a ride was needed and agreed to the $30 fee, court documents state. An officer texted Jones asking if they could stop at a local store “for condoms,” court documents state. Jones then called the undercover officer and said not to text stuff like that and that “he was just going to assume those are for [the officer’s] boyfriend,” Petersen wrote.
Other officers had set up at the hotel and watched as Jones’ red Mazda pulled into the lot. Police identified Jones by using the selfie that he had reportedly sent, court documents state. The first officer to contact Jones at the vehicle could also see the text messages between Jones and the undercover officer. The officer who was sending the text messages then walked up to the vehicle, called the phone and watched through the window as the phone lit up and began to ring, Petersen wrote.
Jones was taken to a police precinct to be interview. He reportedly told one of the officers “If I know (sic) what I was doing was illegal I wouldn’t have answered the backpage ads,” Petersen wrote. Jones also said, “I know why I’m here, prostitution.”
According to records, Jones lives in Vancouver, Wash. who works in the tech industry and does not appear to have a criminal record prior to his arrest.
Attempts to reach Jones on Saturday were unsuccessful.