Four arrested in Lodi prostitution caper

Four women were arrested on prostitution charges Monday evening after they reportedly arranged a meeting with a Lodi man through an Internet classifieds Web site.

The women, most of whom are from the Los Angeles area, appeared in a Lodi courtroom Tuesday after spending a night in the Lodi jail.

One suspect's case is still pending, because she has several prostitution warrants from the Los Angeles area.

All of them have prior prostitution cases in various counties throughout California, a prosecutor said in court.

The case started when a resident in the 400 block of West Elm Street called police around 7 p.m. The caller reported that an unfamiliar car was in the area and it could be connected to prostitution in an apartment, Lodi Police Sgt. Dale Miller said.

Police arrived and began talking to a man and three women in the silver Ford Taurus, which happened to be parked two blocks from the police station.

Then another woman emerged from the apartment, and Officer Hettie Schaeffer began talking to the woman, later identified as Ruth Demeire, 27, of Winetka near Los Angeles. Schaeffer told the woman that police knew what she was doing, and Demeire confessed, Miller said.

Police detained all four people and went to the apartment, where they talked to an elderly man. He said he had contacted the woman through Craigslist.org "but when she showed up, she was not all she had claimed," Miller said.

The man ultimately gave Demeire the promised $200, Miller said. The man was not arrested because, though some sex acts apparently occurred, police did not see them, Miller said. Though Demeire confessed to police, a suspect's word cannot be used in court without other corroboration.

Police arrested all four people on suspicion of loitering for the purpose of prostitution. The driver, Dominique Brown, 33, of Fresno, had condoms in her shirt, Miller said.

The front passenger, Damion Williams, 33, of Winetka, was sitting on a large box of condoms and had $600 in cash on him, Miller said.

And the rear passenger, Leticia Joyner, 20, of Clovis, allegedly gave police a fake name, though they later learned that she was wanted on three San Jose warrants.

All four appeared in Lodi court Tuesday afternoon. Each said they did not have the means to hire an attorney; none are currently employed.

Williams and Brown pleaded no contest to loitering for the purpose of prostitution, agreeing to a $250 fine and three years of informal probation. They were sentenced to 30 days in jail, and said they would complete an alternative work project instead.

Demeire, whom Deputy District Attorney Roy Shannon said had at least 13 previous prostitution arrests, pleaded no contest to engaging in prostitution. She was sentenced to 60 days in jail, which can also be done through a work program, fined $250 and placed on probation for three years.

As for Joyner, who has three pending warrants, she will return to court Aug. 26, and her bail was set at $15,000.

After being escorted from the courtroom, Joyner began yelling at another female inmate in a holding area. Though the commotion sent bailiffs running and briefly drowned out the judge, the argument was soon ended.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.