Tampa prostitution sting nets 8 arrests at Nebraska Avenue motel

TAMPA — Eight men were arrested during a prostitution sting at a Nebraska Avenue motel Tuesday night.

One man was arrested, police said, after asking an undercover officer, "How do I know you're not a cop?"

An arrest affidavit shows that the officer replied with the same question: "How do I know you're not a cop?" She arrested him when he pulled down his pants.

The sting was staged at the Jayhawk Motel, 3415 N Nebraska Ave., and arrests were made between 9 p.m. and midnight. Arrest affidavits tell of men offering $15 to $50 for various sex acts.

Arrested were Larry Mattox, 52, Wilfredo Gonzalez, 41, Christopher Williams, 25, James Larson, 42, and Alberto Sanchez-Ortiz, 31, all of Tampa; Brandon Scriven, 20, of Tallahassee; William Barry, 43, of Davie; and Assefa Mekuria, 35, of Boulder, Colo.

All were charged with soliciting prostitution and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail.

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