ARRESTS MADE IN THIRD HUMAN TRAFFICKING ENFORCEMENT OPERATION IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY

For the third time in the last nine months the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office conducted a Human Trafficking Enforcement operation to combat human trafficking crimes in Cumberland County.  District Attorney Seán M. McCormack commented, “After our last two operations I warned people who are thinking about answering an ad for sex in Cumberland County, they better think twice, or they may find themselves as part of the next group of individuals we arrest.  Once again, our most recent operation resulted in multiple arrests of men seeking to purchase sexual acts from prostitutes.”   

Operation Impact Demand III was a joint effort conducted by the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, the West Shore Regional Police Department, the Cumberland County Drug Task Force, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department.  These arrests are part of an ongoing initiative to reduce the demand for sex trafficking.   McCormack explained, “Operation Impact Demand is designed to attack the human trafficking problem by focusing on the demand, that is the customer side, of the equation.”  To date Operation Impact Demand has resulted in the arrest of twenty-five individuals.  In addition to prostitution charges, these operations have also uncovered related drug and firearm violations.      

Shea M. Rhodes, Esquire, is an expert in the field of human trafficking, now more properly referred to as commercial sexual exploitation.  She is the co-Founder and Director of the Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.   A former prosecutor in Philadelphia herself, Ms. Rhodes commented, “The CSE Institute is thrilled that Cumberland County is focused on targeting those who buy sex as the root cause of sex trafficking.  Every single dollar that a sex trafficker makes comes out of the wallet of a sex buyer.  Where there is a demand for paid sex there will be sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.  The Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement’s policy of focusing their efforts on targeting sex buyers who drive the demand for commercial sex is one that should be modeled and replicated throughout the Commonwealth.”

The following individuals were arrested and charged with prostitution and related offense after they arrived at a hotel in Wormleysburg Borough, Cumberland County, and offered an under-cover police officer money for sexual acts.  Charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth Beckley. 

1.            Lucas Blackwell, Elizabethtown, PA, Age 42

2.            Eric Long, Pitman, PA, Age 52

3.            Andrew Clemm, Dauphin, PA, Age 34

4.            Ricky Henry, York, PA, Age 52

5.            Hamid Oudaha, Camp Hill, PA, Age 49

6.            Thomas Heilman, Manchester, PA, Age 59

7.            Michael McCue, East Petersburg, PA, Age 45

8.            Eric Shell, Harrisburg, PA, Age 46

NOTE: Lucas Blackwell, Eric Long, Andrew Clemm, Ricky Henry, Hamid Oudaha, Thomas Heilman, Michael McCue, and Eric Shell are presumed to be innocent at this time and remains so unless or until they are convicted in a court of law.