Online ad leads to two arrests in Fargo prostitution case

Two women were arrested in Fargo for prostitution after an online advertisement led police to them.

According to a release:

An undercover Fargo officer met two women Tuesday after responding to the “escorts” section of a local website.

Police said both women chose a location to meet and then allegedly agreed to engage in sexual activity with another for money, a Class B misdemeanor under state law.

At 10:05 a.m., officers arrested Nour Gahndy Rassas, 18, of Warwick, R.I., at the Roadway Inn, 2202 S. University Drive.

Officers also arrested Kathrine Elizabeth Hurst-Flisk, 20, of Fargo, at 1:50 p.m. at the Motel 6, 1202 36 St. S.

In addition to the prostitution charge, Rassas was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Fargo Police Lt. Pat Claus said the arrests are due to random, periodical stings designed to “discourage and detour” crime.

Claus said he and officers regularly track adult classified ads in local newspapers and online, many of which often have out-of-region contacts.

The same website Rassas and Hurst-Flick where advertised now has a posting titled, “This guy is a cop.”

The posting includes a phone number and reads, “Be careful ladies, he busted somebody else today.” The ad was posted shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Claus said the warning is common.

“It’s a never-ending game of trying to adjust so we can do our job.” Claus said. “Not because we’re the morals police, but because this type of crime has an impact on the quality of life in our community.”

He said prostitution stings are generally set up for police to further investigate crimes that can go along with it, such as drugs, robbery, assault or extortion.

“Will we end (prostitution) forever? Probably not any more than we can end any specific crime,” Claus said. “We just want to get it to where it has minimal to no impact on the quality of life here.”

Tags: news, fargo, crime, prostitution, fccnetwork