A 20-year-old man at a motel in Santa Barbara was arrested on Monday for pimping and pandering by detectives with the County Sheriff’s Office. As part of the county’s efforts to combat human trafficking, an undercover detective had contacted a woman, thought to be underage, offering prostitution-related “escort” services online. Arrangements were made for the undercover officer and woman to meet at a hotel in Goleta, while the man, Mikah D’Shawn Reese of North Highlands, CA, was arrested in the motel room in Santa Barbara where the two had been staying.
The woman, who was found to be 18 years old, was offered the services of a human-trafficking advocate with the District Attorney’s Office, but declined. She was cited with solicitation of prostitution and released. Reese was booked into County Jail with bail set at $200,000. The operation was funded in part with a 2016 federal grant to investigate and prosecute human traffickers, and to provide victim services.