Executive Summary
- The H.E.A.L. Human Trafficking Task Force arrested six men during a sting operation in Ashland on Dec. 5.
- Suspects facing prostitution charges range in age from 28 to 62.
- One potential trafficking victim was identified and provided with social services.
- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated the operation aimed to reduce the demand driving human trafficking.
ASHLAND — Undercover agents arrested six individuals, including two men from Richland County, during a targeted human trafficking sting operation in Ashland on December 5, according to an announcement by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
The operation was conducted by the Huron, Erie, Ashland, and Lorain (H.E.A.L.) Human Trafficking Task Force. Authorities stated the mission focused on arresting individuals seeking to purchase illicit sex and identifying potential victims of human trafficking. The sting resulted in charges of engaging in prostitution filed in Ashland Municipal Court against six men.
The suspects were identified by authorities as Mark Gamble, 55, of Dublin; James Heffelfinger, 62, of Butler; Christopher Johnson, 33, of Mansfield; Carlos Osorio, 43, of Bucyrus; Steven Shilliday, 28, of Ashland; and Scott Stolcals, 41, of Nova.
According to municipal court records, five of the defendants were scheduled to appear before a judge on December 9. Mark Gamble, represented by attorney James Mayer III, had his arraignment rescheduled for January 9. In addition to the arrests, the press release noted that investigators identified one potential victim of human trafficking during the sting. That individual was provided with social services through Safe Haven of Ashland, a domestic violence shelter that assisted law enforcement during the operation.
“These are men you might encounter any day – a farmer, a forklift operator, an auto parts manager and an electrician,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in the statement. Yost emphasized that the task force conducts these operations to reduce the demand for human trafficking and to highlight the prevalence of such activities statewide.
The H.E.A.L. Human Trafficking Task Force operates under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and comprises the sheriff’s offices of Huron, Erie, Ashland, and Lorain counties, along with the Perkins Township Police Department and Sheffield Village Police Department.
Investigative Outlook
This operation underscores a persistent law enforcement strategy known as “demand reduction,” which targets the buyers of commercial sex to disrupt the financial incentives of human trafficking networks. By focusing on the solicitors, authorities aim to curb the market that fuels exploitation. The immediate involvement of victim services organizations like Safe Haven indicates a procedural emphasis on separating victims from the criminal justice process applied to offenders. It is important to note that all individuals named in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
