9 arrested in Lake County prostitution sting

WLS logo
Saturday, February 11, 2017

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Nine people have been arrested in Lake County, Ill. as part of a prostitution sting, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Saturday.

The Lake County Sheriff's Gang Task Force used a classified advertising website to set up meetings at a hotel in southern Lake County. When the "Johns" arrived and offered money to undercover deputies for sexual acts, they were arrested.

The sting was part of a nationwide operation targeting customers of prostitutes. Cook County announced this week the arrest of 101 alleged sex buyers.

On January 13, deputies arrested Erik Jorenson, 40, of Lake Forest and Evelio Garcia-Caniz, 34, of Chicago were arrested.

On February 9, deputies arrested Matthew Scanlon, 47, of Gurnee; Michael Pacholczak, 33, of Mundelein; Francisco Castaneda, 43, of Vernon Hills, Dimitrios Samaras, 42, of unincorporated Mundelein; Antonio Knight, 23, of Vernon Hills' Gustavo Valdez, 38, of Prospect Heights; and Oscar Rivera-Maldonado, 20, of Waukegan.