Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Two northwest Iowa men have been arrested in two separate soliciting of prostitution cases in Sioux Falls.
According to Sioux Falls Police Department spokesman Sam Clemens, they arrested 53-year-old David Alan Cleveringa of Sioux Center and 55-year-old Kevin Gene Van Beek of Inwood.
He says that the Sioux Falls Police Department had some officers receive training recently on how to carry out a reverse prostitution sting. A reverse sting is one in which those who solicit prostitution are targeted for arrest, not the prostitutes.
Clemens says the point of such an operation is to find people involved in human trafficking. He says there are two sides to this — the supply and the demand. He says there is obviously a demand for hiring others for prostitution in Sioux Falls. According to Clemens, the Sioux Falls Police know of a lot of victims caught up in prostitution and the police are trying to curb the demand side to make Sioux Falls less attractive both to those who run prostitution rings — the “pimps,” and those who solicit the sex, commonly called “Johns.”
Clemens tells us that officers placed ads online on sites commonly used to advertise for prostitution. He says officers received over 100 phone calls and texts, but only these two men actually showed up at the hotel. According to Clemens, Sioux Falls officers want to find the human trafficking victims and get them to safe place. He says that’s not always so easy.
Van Beek and Cleveringa were charged with Hiring for Sexual Activity, which is what as known as a “Class 1 Misdemeanor” in South Dakota — the most serious class of misdemeanor before offenses turn into felonies.
Both men bonded out.
Clemens says, “If people think the police may be involved, maybe they’ll stop.”
