A jury trial scheduled to start Wednesday was canceled after a 40-year-old Rochester man pleaded guilty in his prostitution case.
Eric Jonray Anderson pleaded guilty April 2 to prostitution-hire a 16- to 17-year-old. In exchange, one count of prostitution-hire 13- to 15-year-old was dismissed. Both are felonies.
Sentencing has been set for June 1.
The charges stem from an incident June 14, when Rochester police put together an advertisement in the escort section of Backpage.com, a website that contains a section for adult services. Members of the Rochester police street crimes unit often monitor the site and place false ads to target people involved in prostitution.
Less than an hour later, the undercover officer received a text message from a phone number later identified as belonging to Anderson. He wanted to know if she was affiliated with the cops and was told that one of the girls in the ad was 15, the other 17.
ADVERTISEMENT
Anderson agreed to come for the date, the complaint says, if one of the girls would meet him at the side door of the hotel. He was arrested at the scene.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.
