An undercover prostitution sting in the Jefferson Street area Tuesday led to the arrest of eight people, including one man who tried to run from Savannah-Chatham police, bringing additional charges.
Shawn Lernard Williams, 42, solicited sex from an undercover officer but sped away in his pickup truck when convening officers identified themselves, said police spokesman Julian Miller. He eventually was arrested after a foot chase and charged with pandering, driving with a suspended license, obstruction by fleeing, fleeing to elude, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and reckless driving.
Arrested for prostitution were Shawn Demetrius Blige, 31, Ruth Ann Robinson, 48, Michael Wayne Gibbs Jr., 29, and James Baggs III, 48. Charged with pandering were Caezare Nico Johnson, 21, Alex Terrell Love, 42, and Robert Terrell Williams, 23.
The operation was conducted by Crime Suppression Units from the Central Precinct in reaction to complaints from residents about prostitutes working in the area around 41st and 42nd streets and Jefferson and Bull streets, Miller said. Several of those charged with prostitution are males who were dressed as females.
The investigation into prostitution in the area by Central Precinct CSU officers will continue, Miller said.