Thursday night, the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit arrested a 36-year-old man during an undercover sex trafficking operation, later determining that the suspect was wanted for murder in Oklahoma.
The suspect, using a false identity, was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on a charge of Patronizing a Prostitute. After his booking, his true identity of Alonzo John Kelly III was determined at jail and it was learned that Kelly was wanted for the murder of a woman in Oklahoma in 2016.
The arrest came during a Sex Trafficking Unit undercover mission to address online sex trafficking. For investigative reasons, the Sex Trafficking Unit is not sharing the specific website, application, or ad text publicly that was used during this operation.
Kelly arrived at a Southeast Portland hotel after responding to one of the online ads used during the investigation. After his arrest for Patronizing a Prostitute, investigators worked to determine his true identity, suspecting that the name and identification he provided were false. After being unsuccessful at determining his true identity, Kelly was booked into jail where a more thorough identity confirmation was possible, leading to the discovery of his true identity and the fugitive warrant.
The Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit conducts these undercover operations because sex trafficking and prostitution are not victimless crimes. Victims of sex trafficking and prostitution are forced, coerced, and manipulated into this lifestyle against their will. They are forced to suffer through physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The Portland Police Bureau, in conjunction with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to deterring prostitution and sex trafficking activities.
The Bureau also works with community organizations like Lifeworks NW to help sex trafficking victims: https://www.bja.gov/programs/supporting-victims-of-sex-trafficking-in-Portland.html