Seedy Side of Vice II: Recent Arrests Show Disturbing Trend

Making a case or cause for concern? 4/29/06 (updated 5/2/06) -- Oklahoma City, OK - Public records recount each and every prostitution arrest in Oklahoma County. A closer look shows a disparity between street prostitution arrests and private escort arrests; One that is a cause for concern. JohnTV.com reviews arrest reports, probable cause affidavits and other public records on a daily basis. While reviewing these records we've noticed a disturbing trend. While street prostitutes are often placed under arrest and successfully prosecuted for simply offering to engage in a lewd act, often, the more attractive private escorts are encouraged by police to undress, touch and even masturbate in front of male undercover officers prior to their arrest. Police say their actions are necessary to make a case, JohnTV.com speculates the line between enforcing the law, making a case and indulging one's own deviance gets arguably blurry. JohnTV.com first reported on these questionable tactics September 16 of last year.

In that case we shined a light on the case of convicted Dallas escort Amber Kay Sears, 21. Sears was arrested June 3 of last year after being contacted via email by an undercover Oklahoma City vice officer and lured to Oklahoma City for a sexual encounter. Sears was brought to OKC by her husband Nelson Sears, 24.

According to court records, Sears agreed to an hour of "anything but anal" for $270. The entire transaction; advertisement, solicitation, procurement and planned sex was to take place completely behind closed doors and away from the knowledge and sensitivities of the general public. Even though police records clearly show that Sears had broke the law when she told the officer he would be required to wear a condom and that she was willing to perform any sex act other than anal for the paid $270, the officers did not make an arrest at that point. Instead, the undercover officer instructed Sears to take off her clothing and then masturbate in front of the undercover officer (isn't it nice to know what your tax dollars will get you these days).

Sears pled guilty to felony charges including computer crimes (those naughty emails back and forth), offering to engage in prostitution, and maintaining a house of prostitution last September. Amber was given a five year deferred sentence, required to be evaluated for drugs and alcohol, and fines and court costs in excess of $1,600.

Did all this effort by Oklahoma City Vice and all the tax dollars spent by Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane to prosecute Sears teach her a lesson, rehabilitate her criminal ways and cause us all to sleep better at night?

You can judge for yourself by clicking here and here. (Update 5/2/06: Obviously Amber, aka "Candie," is a fan of JohnTV.com. Within hours of JohnTV.com posting links to her active escort Internet sites she pulled the one she actually has control of [second link]. Most likely for fear it would prove she is in violation of her felony suspended sentence. Worry not, we here at JohnTV are very thorough. You can see Amber's site as it appeared [we edited out the pages with nudity] by clicking here [.pdf document]. If we here at JohnTV wanted Amber's suspended sentence accelerated to prison time, we'd have posted links to her other "escort" ads, reviews and Yahoo group which have begun to appear on other forums. It's amazing the links people will send us!)

Would it not have served a much greater good to have spent those same tax dollars fighting street prostitution which is rampant in South Oklahoma City? Prostitution that literally holds entire neighborhoods hostage. Instead, Oklahoma City Vice continually chooses to waste tax dollars fighting a segment of prostitution that is not seen nor complained about by the public at large.

Oh wait a minute... they also get free sex shows with your tax dollars - silly us!

In recent weeks JohnTV.com has noticed Oklahoma City Vice's 'policy of perversion' continues unabated.

in this episode of the "Seedy Side of Vice" we will look at the cases of Marci Edgin and Jamie Murcek.

Edgin, 51, was arrested October 5 of last year by members of Oklahoma City vice.

According to court records, an undercover officer contacted Edgin after seeing an ad she had placed for massage services in Night Shift Magazine.

Edgin, using the name "Charlie," quoted a rate of $100 for a 45-minute massage and instructed the officer to come to her residence at the Lakeview Tower Apartments.

At about 7:30pm the officer arrived and was greeted by Edgin, who was wearing "a small white piece of lingerie."

Edgin collected the $100 and took the officer to a bedroom containing a massage table.

The officer undressed and Edgin began to give him a massage.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the officer stated that "he liked to watch a woman masturbate ... then asked [Edgin] if she would masturbate for him."

Only after getting his free show did the officer ask Edgin for oral sex. Edgin agreed and was taken into custody.

The report failed to mention where the now naked undercover officer kept his badge and handcuffs.

Edgin was charged with a felony, convicted earlier this month and sentenced to one-year suspended.

Murcek, 27, from Omaha, NB was arrested April 3rd.

According to court records, Murcek had placed an ad offering "escort" services on the Internet site CraigsList.com last March.

Undercover officers contacted Murcek via email and agreed to meet at the Super 8 Motel in South Oklahoma City for an hour of "escort" services for the agreed price of $250.

At about 5:00pm the undercover officer arrived at the hotel room and was instructed to place the $250 on the nightstand. Murcek told the officer she had brought condoms.

Both the officer and Murcek got undressed.

Murcek produced "a pink phallic vibrator and began to masturbate."

Only after "performing" for the naked undercover officer was Murcek placed under arrest.

Murcek, charged with a felony, is currently awaiting a court date.

JohnTV.com brings these three cases to the public's attention because they (and dozens of similar examples) stand in stark contrast to street prostitution arrests.

Page after page of escort related police reports recount tales of masturbation, gropping, naked cuddling and other indecent acts at tax payer expense with undercover Oklahoma City police officers.

After literally going through hundreds of public records we have found no police reports which detail, the often less attractive, street prostitutes being encouraged, or even allowed, to undress, fondle or masturbate themselves or the undercover officer.

JohnTV.com asks, why would the criteria for making a case against a street prostitute be so different than that of a private escort?

Many would argue that prostitution in any form is often a direct result of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. At the very least it is a demeaning act by any standard.

Should we as a society allow our city, county or state law enforcement officers to engage in acts of victimization in the name of enforcing the law. Especially when the "criminals" are engaged in acts kept 100% behind closed doors and are not the topic of public outcry for relief?

The "Seedy Side of Vice" will be an ongoing effort to expose our city's "policies of perversion."

D.A. Lane Press Release Regarding Gassaway Arrest

Date: March 7, 2006 Media statement from Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane regarding the Mike Gassaway arrest. Approximately one week ago the Oklahoma City Vice unit was directed to a female who said she knew Mike Gassaway would trade out his legal services in return for sex with female clients. This female had originally been arrested by another law enforcement agency on a routine traffic stop at which time drug paraphernalia was found in her car. Otherwise this person had no prior criminal record on her. Without any promises made to her she made known the name of a prostitute to the Vice Unit who she claimed to have had this sexual arrangement with Gassaway in the past. She also advised police that her boyfriend had already hired Gassaway to represent him in a felony DUI case and that she had been bringing cash payments to Gassaway's office on her boyfriend's legal fee's which was of course perfectly legal. She offered to approach Gassaway to see if he would be interested in making a trade of sex for legal services. The Vice Unit put a body microphone on her and she then met with Gassaway last Wednesday at which time she represented to him that her and her boyfriend had no more money and that she would like to make a trade with him as her female friend had. She then named the friend and Gassaway expressed his willingness to do that and told her to come back the next afternoon to as he put it "working that program." The next afternoon, the female informant, with a microphone returned, at which time Gassaway invited her into his office, locked the door and they then negotiated in the amount of three hundred dollars being credited to her boyfriend's account for every time she preformed oral sex on Gassaway. Gassaway ultimately pulled his pants down, and about that time the police began pounding at the door. The police having been monitoring the phone or the conversation, Gassaway opened the door and was videotaped with his belt undone and his shirt hanging out his fly. He was then placed under arrest. Today I am filling charges on John Michael Gasaway for the misdemeanor crime of offering to engage in an act of prostitution. This crime carries as a penalty of up to one year in a county jail, and or a fine up to $25 hundred dollars. Under the law, offering to engage essentially means someone else has offered someone else money in exchange for a sex act. The public should also know that allegations of this kind are not only criminal in nature but violation of ethical rules governing the conduct of lawyers in our profession. The Oklahoma Supreme Court makes these rules and the lawyers working full time for the bar association enforcing those laws. The public should know that over 90 percent of practicing lawyers have never had a complaint made against them. Since his arrest, there have been several women who have called both the police and the bar association concerning Mr. Gassaway. If you have information concerning these or similar allegations against Mr. Gassaway, we would ask that you call Crime stoppers at 235-7300 and an officer will discuss this with you. Finally, on the night of his arrest, Mr. Gassaway and his attorney, Scott Adams, claimed that Gassaway was nothing other than the innocent victim of my office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. They claimed that the reason he got arrested was because, "we continue to come after him." They also accused that our 130 pound female informant forcibly unbuckled Gassaway's belt all against his will. In response to Mr. Gassaway and his lawyer's claim that the only guilty people in this matter work for me and the police, I'll just say this - This entire matter was recorded and real men don't make excuses and they don't blame other people for their own moral failures. I would encourage Mr. Adams and Mr. Gassaway to stop blaming other people and start excepting some responsibility."

Oklahoma City Police Officer Fired for Alleged Sex with Prostitute; DA Lane Refuses to File Charges

1/28/06 (updated 1/31/06) -- Oklahoma City - Last week an Oklahoma City police officer was fired after allegations he had been having sex with prostitutes in is patrol car. Oklahoma County district attorney Wes Lane refuses to prosecute. JohnTV.com had been receiving information on at least two officers that were being investigated for engaging in sexual intercourse with prostitutes in their patrol cars while on duty. Last night the investigation and result of at least one officer was confirmed by a report aired on KFOR News Channel 4. According to the report, police internal affairs conducted a lengthy investigation into Oklahoma City police officer Jeff Sellers. The results of that investigation were turned over to Oklahoma County district attorney Wes Lane. Lane refused to file charges against the officer. Police administration decided there was enough evidence to warrant firing Sellers. A source close to the Oklahoma City police department tells JohnTV.com that Sellers was not the only officer investigated in this case. Another officer, who JohnTV.com will only identify as T.B. was allowed to retire and maintain full benefits as opposed to being fired for his alleged criminal activity. JohnTV.com speculates that DA Wes Lane was hesitant to uphold his duty and moral obligation to criminally charge the officer(s) because this is an election year for Lane and he desperately desires the support of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). JohnTV.com's source says there have actually been several similar investigations stemming from credible allegations that Oklahoma City police officers have victimized those they are entrusted to protect the community from. In several cases officers were moved to other police divisions or given "desk" jobs. When a man procures a street prostitute he is betraying his family and continuing the victimization of the woman engaged in street prostitution. When an officer of the law, in uniform and on duty, procures a street prostitute he has betrayed the entire community and violated his oath. The only thing more inexcusable than an immoral police officer who flagrantly violates the law is Oklahoma County district attorney Wes Lane's apparent indifference and unwillingness to up hold the law - all for the sake of politics. JohnTV.com will have more to come.