Five people were arrested and/or charged in Surfside Beach Thursday, accused in a "call-girl" escort service prostitution operation. One man is still wanted.
The Surfside Beach Police Department says after responding to a citizen complaint of suspicious activity in the parking lot near the Surfside Beach Pier, officers began an investigation.
They arrested Kristine Marie Reynolds, 22, of Myrtle Beach. She is charged with Prostitution 2nd offense. Stephanie Rene Leonard, 27, of Garden City is charged with Prostitution 1st offense and Fugitive from Justice. She's wanted on a Burglary charge in Ohio. Jesse Alan Hash, 28, of Garden City is charged with Fugitive from Justice. He's wanted for drug charges in Florida.
Also cited in this operation were Christopher S. Mayes, 37, of Groveport, OH and Jamie Lynn Goins, 30, of Conway. They were each charged with Prostitution 1st offense.
The Surfside Beach Police Department is still looking for a sixth suspect in this case. James Goodenow, 41, from Myrtle Beach is wanted for Violation of Order of Protection. That's due to his relationship with Reynolds.
Both Reynolds and Goodenow were among five arrests made in July in another prostitution sting in Surfside Beach.
"This demonstrates the persistent nature of these offenders," said Surfside Beach Police Chief Mike Frederick in a press release. "Which is why agencies conduct the undercover operations periodically to disrupt these markets."
Frederick added that patrol-initiated arrests like the ones Thursday are just as critical as the periodic undercover stings to maintaining Surfside Beach's quality of life. "This serves to let prostitutes and johns alike know that even our patrol officers have the experience and training to catch them when they stroll into our area," Frederick said, "They can't relax between undercover operations."
