10 charged in trafficking sting; 1 man agreed to buy sex from cop posing as teen: PPB

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Ten men were charged during a sex trafficking sting in Multnomah County, the Portland Police Bureau announced Saturday.

PPB said they worked with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to set up the sting on Tuesday, in which undercover officers posed as trafficked women. Police said the operation to arrest buyers is meant to lower demand for purchasable sex in the community, and they believe it will lower the number of people victimized by sex trafficking.

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Each of the men charged ranged from ages 25 to 51, with one man agreeing to purchase sex from an officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, according to police.

Officers said they seized cash, cell phones and one firearm from the men.

The man who agreed to purchase sex with a minor, identified as 33-year-old Heriberto Marin-Marin of Vancouver, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and charged with purchasing sex with a minor and commercial sexual solicitation.

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The other nine men were issued a criminal citation for commercial sexual solicitation and are required to report to court at a later date, PPB said.

• Travis L. Knoy, 25, Milwaukie
• Kyle L. Hanson, 50, Portland
• Matthew G. Barber, 50, Maple Valley, Wash.
• Aleksandr S. Beglets, 35, Portland
• Stephen J. Hanlon, 51, Portland
• Nathan P. Strickland, 36, Portland
• Dmytro Peter Narolskyi, 31, Vancouver
• Cheldon A. Chriestenson, 33, Gresham
• Dion M. Webster, 27, Portland

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