9 suspects arrested in prostitution investigation

A prostitution sting operation resulted in nine arrests at the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley last week.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday that over the past several months, Coeur d’Alene Casino management had seen an upswing in activities which indicated prostitutes were operating within the Casino and attached Resort Hotel areas and contacted Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police for assistance.

Further information from Washington law enforcement agencies confirmed the identities of several individuals seen by Casino security personnel as suspected prostitutes and their customers. As Washington law enforcement agencies have been conducting similar enforcement operations, prostitution activities have been migrated to the Kootenai County area.

Since the Coeur d’Alene Casino is within the jurisdiction of both the Coeur d’Alene Reservation and Kootenai County, the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police involved the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to handle shared jurisdictional issues.

The goal of the operation was to reduce the number of active prostitutes operating within Kootenai County, and more specifically the Coeur d’Alene Casino in response to their complaints about increased illegal activity. Over the two-night operation, on April 29 and 30, nine arrests were made; eight adult females were charged with prostitution and one male was charged with solicitation of prostitution. Investigators believe more arrests could have been made, but after the first night, several social media posts were being made warning of the “prostitution sting” at the Casino, which ultimately aided in the goal to reduce the number of prostitutes in Kootenai County.

Those arrested were:

Ashton, Scott O., 39 years old of Richland, WA – Solicitation of Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Morgan, Samantha N., 21 years old of Spokane, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Barreda, Yesenia S., 18 years old of Spokane, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Faucett, Mary A., 26 years old of Spokane, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Talbott, Tonya S., 45 years old of Spokane, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Gorkhali, Mary D., 41 years old of Coeur d’Alene, ID – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Shyvers, Anastasia T., 33 years old of Medical Lake, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Trujillo, Amy D., 42, years old of Pullman, WA – Prostitution, $300.00 bond

Amell, Carolyn A, 46 years old of Coeur d’Alene, ID – Prostitution, $300.00 bond