Salem strip club searched in FBI operation
A Salem strip club was searched Friday as part of an ongoing Beaverton Police Department investigation and an anti-sex trafficking initiative spearheaded by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
No one was immediately arrested at the Cheetahs strip club at Silverton Road NE and Hawthorne Avenue NE, but the investigation is still ongoing, Beaverton police Officer Bryan Dalton said.
The search warrant was related to a sex trafficking investigation involving a female minor that had been contacted by Beaverton detectives during an undercover prostitution sting in July 2016.
Dalton said during the investigation, detectives discovered the underage girl had been dancing nude at Cheetahs strip club.
The Salem Police Department and FBI officials assisted with the search. The warrant was served in conjunction with the anti-sex trafficking initiative Operation Cross Country X.
In Portland, one minor sex trafficking victim was recovered and 10 prostitutes were arrested or cited; in Eugene, 10 prostitutes were arrested or cited during the operation.
The larger, international Operation Cross Country initiative, which ran from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15, led to the recovery of 82 minors and the arrest of 239 pimps, according to the FBI.
"Operation Cross Country aims to shine a spotlight into the darkest corners of our society that seeks to prey on the most vulnerable of our population," said FBI Director James Comey in a statement. "As part of this effort, we are not only looking to root out those who engage in the trafficking of minors, but, through our Office of Victim Assistance, we offer a lifeline to minors to help them escape from a virtual prison no person ever deserves."
Sting operations took place in various locations, including hotels, truck stops, and street corners. The FBI declined to release specifics on the stings, including their locations, to protect the integrity of future operations.
This year's stings mark the 10th and largest year of Operation Cross Country. Law enforcement partner agencies, such as the Salem Police Department, Oregon State Police and the Marion County District Attorney's Office, in more than 100 cities took part in the initiative.
Operation Cross Country X is a part of the FBI's Innocence Lost Initiative, which has identified and located more than 6,100 minors since 2003.
Dalton asked anyone with information on minors dancing at Cheetahs or any other local strip club to contact Detective Chad Opitz, who is assigned to the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, at 503-526-2674.
Email wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth
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