Sheriff Cancels Sex on the Job for Detectives

The sheriff said Friday that he would no longer allow detectives to receive sexual services while investigating suspected prostitution after they spent $1,200 at massage parlors last month and sparked a public outcry.

Spotsylvania County Sheriff Howard Smith defended the practice as necessary to obtain a conviction but told his department he was suspending it.

“I understand the feelings and concerns the citizens of this county have expressed,” Smith said in a statement sent to Associated Press on Friday. “Because of the public’s express response, I have suspended this practice.”

Court documents show that four times last month, county detectives allowed women at Moon Spa to perform sex acts on them -- once leaving a $350 tip. A total of $1,200 was spent during the visits, Smith said. He said multiple visits helped detectives build trust with the operators.

Detectives shut down Moon Spa last month. The two suspected operators and three women accused of working there face charges including prostitution and sodomy, Smith said.

Law enforcement officials say officers only need an offer of sex for money for an arrest.