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Santa Clarita Deputies Arrest 1, 16 Cited In Multi-agency Massage Parlor Sting

PHOTO COURTESY OF SANTA CLARITA VALLEY SHERIFF’S STATION

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies worked with numerous agencies Wednesday in an undercover operation aimed at illegal activity in Santa Clarita Valley massage parlors.


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Deputies arrested one, and worked with several other agency officials to hand out more than a dozen citations.

Na Morgan, of Rosemead, was arrested at a massage parlor on the 25000 block of Peachland Avenue on a prostitution charge, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrest records.Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station deputies worked with other agencies during a sting operation Wednesday

“The idea behind the operation is to make sure all Santa Clarita Valley massage parlors are in compliance with all state, county and city laws and regulations,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Crime Prevention Unit. “Another aspect of the mission was to attempt to identify any potential victims of human trafficking.”

Operations of this nature are conducted on a regular basis, rotating throughout the Sheriff’s Station patrol area in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The operation focused on the Newhall area, which deputies refer to as Zone 6, and included, in addition to local deputies, those from the Vice Unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau, officials from the Los Angeles County Treasurer’s Office, Employment Development Department, and Santa Clarita city officials, including the Community Preservation Office.

Nine locations were selected, some of those chosen were based on business owners’ feedback, which noted complaints in the area, Dubin said.

“We of course want to respond and investigate any time we hear about that type of illicit or illegal activity happening in our community,” Dubin said, encouraging any residents with concerns to contact the station at 661-255-1121, or anonymously at 1-877-222-TIPS (8477).

Sheriff’s Station officials arrested two and cited five during a similar sting in February 2013 targeting similar businesses in Canyon Country and Castaic.

Related articles: Sheriff’s Department Massage Parlor Sweep Nets Two Arrests, Five Citations

In addition to the arrest, there was an immigration violation noted in Sheriff’s Station reports, which will be handled by Homeland Security officials, deputies said.

There were nine violations cited for various city of Santa Clarita municipal violations, and seven violations related to either worker compensation insurance or minimum wage violations.

Two Azusa Police Department officers also accompanied deputies as observers.

The operation comes about 10 days after Crime Prevention Unit deputies worked with several other agencies to affect a “johns sting” aimed at prostitution in Castaic.

Related articles: Santa Clarita Deputies Team Up For Prostitution Sting In Castaic

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies teamed up with deputies from the Vice Unit of Major Crimes Bureau in a 12-hour “john sting” March 10.


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.


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Santa Clarita Deputies Arrest 1, 16 Cited In Multi-agency Massage Parlor Sting

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.