BREWER, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Brewer police charged four women with engaging in prostitution after Brewer's first prostitution sting in two years. One of them was charged with a similar crime just five years ago.
Police said someone called with a tip about suspected prostitution they thought was going on in a local hotel, leading the Brewer Police Department to go through with this operation. Police said that call, as well as a recent arrest in another case, brought about the sting operation.
Brewer Police Department found the women on the internet, and then went undercover to meet with the women.
Investigators said the four women charged Wednesday were found on a classified advertising website called Backpage.
Coleen Singer, who police charged in 2009 with promotion of prostitution, is 31 years old. The other three women, Shaina Tibbetts, Amanda Wallace and Heather Nadeau are 25.
Lieutenant Martin said there is no evidence that these cases are related to human trafficking, and that all four women were driven to prostitution by drug addiction.
The goal of charging the women, he said, is to prevent them from committing other crimes in order to get drugs.
"A lot of the people we deal with that are committing these types of drug-related crimes and whatnot, they don't know how to change it," he said. "They don't know how to get out of this hole, and the first rule of holes is put your shovel down. Stop digging, and ask for help. And there are people out in the community who are going to want to help you."
He said anyone suffering from addiction should seek help at the Bangor Area Recovery Network in Brewer.
