East Ridge police this week arrested 12 men, including a local school teacher and an emergency room doctor, in a prostitution sting at a local motel.
The operation, conducted Wednesday and Thursday, used online advertisements to attract "johns," who agreed to meet undercover female officers in exchange for sexual acts and cash, according to a news release from the East Ridge Police Department.
It was carried out by East Ridge police in conjunction with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the Chattanooga Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in an effort to combat human trafficking and prostitution, according to the release.
A 2011 BMW 750 Li and loaded firearm were both seized during the operation.
The teacher arrested does not work for the Hamilton County Department of Education, a school official confirmed Friday.
The men arrested include:
* Brandon Joseph Moore of McDonald, Tenn.: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school and possession of Schedule VI narcotics for resale;
* Rajendra Patel of Chamblee, Ga.: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Marvin Dwight Davis Jr. of Chattanooga: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Michael James Schaffers of Seaford, Delaware: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Clint Austin Christensen of Chattanooga: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school and public Intoxication;
* Matthew Rooker of Chattanooga: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Daniel Eliseo Rojop Sontay of Chattanooga: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Christopher P. Smith of Signal Mountain: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Benjamin Njogu of Mason City, Iowa: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Nicholas P. Savastand of East Ridge: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* James L. Cross of Ringgold, Ga.: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school;
* Zachary Vic of Ringgold, Ga.: Patronizing prostitution within 1.5 miles of a school.