Task Force Arrests 20 in Weekend Prostitution Sting in Tuscaloosa

Agents arrested 20 men during an undercover prostitution sting in Tuscaloosa this weekend, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force announced Monday morning.

Lt. Darren Beams, the unit's commander, said the investigation led to 32 charges against 20 individuals, including five men who each face felony charges for electronic solicitation of a child and traveling to meet a minor for an unlawful sex act.

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The five felony suspects include 20-year-old Zachary Nathaniel Bradley, 20; John Stephen Shoemaker, 64; Terence Xavier Colvin, 23; Francisco Marin-Cuevas, 35; and Miguel Angel Garcia-Gonzalez, 29. Bradley, Shoemaker, Colvin and Marin-Cuevas are from Tuscaloosa. Garcia-Gonzalez is from Bessemer.

“The officers working this detail did an outstanding job on these cases,” Beams said. “Operations like these are crucial in the fight to prevent human trafficking from happening in our area.”

The West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force is made up of officers with Tuscaloosa Police Department, The Northport Police Department, The University of Alabama Police Department the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office along with members of Trafficking Hope, our victim services provider.