Can I be arrested if someone reports me to the police for solicitation and prostiution? 51 Answers as of December 19, 2011

This sounds like a gag, but not a very funny one. If someone called the police and filed a report, the police may come and speak to you. However, if you didn't do anything illegal, you should simply tell the police that. It might be a good idea to be careful of who your friends are, and to be careful to be around real friends that could always honestly say, "no, she could not have done that, she was right here.

You could be, but it's unlikely unless the police have some more information to confirm an anonymous report. The police need "probable cause" to make an arrest.

If the police feel that they have probable cause to arrest you then they can arrest any time or place that they want.

Yes, you can be arrested if the police or prosecution have probable cause to believe you have committed a criminal offense. However, the use of email here makes the legitimacy of the communication suspect. If you believe there is a warrant, check with the county clerk of court.

It is unlikely without more evidence such as an audio or videotape. Potentially the State could attempt to charge you, but you will probably just be issued a summons to appear in court.

Yes, it's possible if your accuser goes down to the police station or magistrate's office and swears out a warrant for your arrest.

The police will attempt to contact you if there is an active investigation. It wouold be highly unusual for the police to conduct an investigation of this type without contacting you for a statement.

Not likely. In Washington, citizen reports do not lead to arrest without independent corroboration of a crime by law enforcement.

You can be arrested upon a signed complaint but other than the person you allegedly solicited I am not sure who would sign the complaint. Who was the email from?

You can be arrested anytime for anything. The question is whether the arrest is valid. A valid arrest generally requires "probable cause." If you were accused of a felony, reports from others would provide that probable cause but when accused of a misdemeanor {such as prostitution] the law generally requires that the officer witness some illegal act. An accusation probably provides a reason to an investigation but unless the investigation provides some evidence not much more may happen.

That person would have to go in front of a judge ans swear to facts that the judge would consider enough to issue a warrant. You should NOT go to the police and say anything. They are hoping you will come in and confess.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. They would need more than a statement from an unknown informer to make an arrest.

Unlikely that you would be arrested for a misdemeanor (you should not be) but law enforcement if they have enough evidence can file charges and you would receive a notice to appear. Typically the only evidence in these cases is from the undercover officer being solicited.

No, you must be apprehended carrying out or attempting to carry out the act before you can be arrested.

To be arrested for a crime there has to be some proof that a crime was committed. Solicitation and prostitution are crimes that must be witnessed, if you have not engaged in either activity you have nothing to worry about because it could not be proven.

Yes, but you probably won't be. A report that you committed a crime, if it's from a credible source, is a basis to arrest you. But it's more likely the police want to talk to you. You should refuse to talk to them if they try, and, if they persist, talk to a lawyer. You do not have to respond to letters or phone calls from the police. If the police have a basis to arrest you and want to do so, there isn't anything you can do to avoid it except hope they don't find you or turn yourself in. You should talk to a lawyer before doing either.

Well if there is enough evidence to convict you perhaps. However if you really were to get arrested for such a crime you would be contacted by the police not an email.

Possibly, but you can help yourself by speaking to no one but your lawyer about this. Once you begin opening your mouth and incriminating yourself, everything goes south.

I have never heard of cops using e-mail, so I suspect you are getting a joke or spam e-mail but cannot say one way or the other.

The short answer is yes, but probably only after the matter has been reviewed the prosecuting attorney and charges have been filed an a warrant for your arrest authorized.

Who was the email from? That almost sounds like a scam to me because I don't know who would contact you via email for such a matter. I could be wrong but that doesn't sound legitimate to me. You can always contact the police directly to check on the validity of any investigation or charges. Chances are if you are charged or cited with anything, you will find out through the mail or the police will show up with a warrant.

You can be arrested wherever your are found with very few limits. Sorry, but it's true. If it occurs you'll want a top notch attorney such as myself (*smiles*). Unfortunate, but true.

In Massachusetts, prostitution and solicitation are misdemeanors. In Massachusetts, in regard to misdemeanors, in the absence of a warrant and in the absence of some specific statutory authority, a police officer can arrest only if, (1) the misdemeanor is committed in his presence and, (2) it involves a breach of the peace, and (3) is still continuing at the time of the arrest. In the situation you present the alleged crime occurred sometime in the past and therefore a warrantless arrest - either at your home or work or anywhere else - would not be permitted. If the police went to the Courthouse and got a warrant for your arrest then you could be arrested. In the situation you present it seems unlikely that a clerk-magistrate at the Court would issue a warrant for your arrest. More likely the case may be set up for a hearing before a clerk-magistrate to determine whether a criminal complaint would be issued against you. You would receive a notice of that hearing in the mail - assuming the police have a correct mailing address for you. In the alternative if the Clerk-Magistrate did issue a criminal complaint against you without a hearing then it is most likely that you would be summonsed into court (as opposed to being arrested).

I get emails all of the time telling me that I am the rightful heir to the throne. An email notification does not mean the person writing is telling the truth. If you are contacted by police, make sure you do not make any statements to them or answer any questions. Just tell the police that you want to speak to an attorney, and that you want to remain silent. After that, do not speak. If they tell you they want to help you and just want your side of the story to clear things up, do not tell them anything! If they are going to arrest you, they will either do so because you incriminate yourself, or they will do so because they already have a case.

Yes. But it sounds like bologna to me.

If you are a prostitute or have been using prostitutes you may be arrested, but the police will need to have sufficient proof to get an arrest warrant. If they contact you call an attorney. Do not talk to the police no matter what the promise or threaten. If they arrest you it is up to you to ask for the questioning to stop, demand an attorney, and not say anything more than your name and address. Look confident, assured, and innocent. They will secretly think you are much smarter than most of the other criminals who foolishly confessed or made incriminating admissions that made it all but impossible for their lawyer to negotiate a good plea deal or win the trial. Remember, Fish only get caught when they open their mouth.

The police need more than one person saying you were soliciting before they will make an arrest. If they have the evidence they need then they will send you or call you and ask you to come in and talk. If they do this have an attorney with you.

If the police have evidence to show this and obtain an arrest warrant, then yes, they can arrest you anywhere.

It's possible, but you will probably get a ticket. Depends on the information they have. Depends if it is a felony level solicitation, or just an offer to exchange sex for money. Solicitation to Commit a Felony: 6-1-302.Solicitation to commit felony; renunciation of criminal intention. (a)A person is guilty of solicitation to commit a felony if, with intent that a felony be committed, he commands, encourages or facilitates the commission of that crime under circumstances strongly corroborative of the intention that the crime be committed but the solicited crime is not attempted or committed. (b)A person is not liable under this section if, after soliciting another person to commit a crime, he persuaded the other person not to do so or otherwise prevented the commission of the crime, under circumstances manifesting a voluntary and complete renunciation of his criminal intention. 6-4-103.Promoting prostitution; penalties. (a)A person commits a felony if he: (i)Knowingly or intentionally entices or compels another person to become a prostitute; (ii)Knowingly or intentionally procures, or offers or agrees to procure, a person for another person for the purpose of prostitution; (iii)Having control over the use of a place, knowingly or intentionally permits another person to use the place for prostitution; or (iv)Receives money or other property from a prostitute, without lawful consideration, knowing it was earned in whole or in part from prostitution. (b)The felony defined by this section is punishable by imprisonment for not more than three (3) years, a fine of not more than three thousand dollars ($3,000.00), or both. However, the crime is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00), or both, under paragraph (i) of subsection (a) of this section if the person enticed or compelled is under eighteen (18) years of age. 6-4-102.soliciting an act of prostitution; penalties. A person is guilty of soliciting an act of prostitution if, with the intent that an act of sexual intrusion as defined by W.S. 6-2-301(a)(vii) be committed, that person knowingly or intentionally pays, or offers or agrees to pay money or other property to another person under circumstances strongly corroborative of the intention that an act of prostitution be committed. Soliciting an act of prostitution is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both. most misdemeanors people receive a citation. Plead the fifth and sign the ticket and fight it in Court. Those who don't talk, may walk. Get an attorney.

Sounds like spam hoax to me.

Probably not. Curious as to who sent this email. Are you sure it is not a virus or a scam? I've never heard of this before, at least from law enforcement - an email warning. Is there a reason this troubles you? That is to say, is there any truth to it? (don't answer on a public forum or Internet) If it's legit, at the moment they are just trying to frighten or warn you. They usually make arrests as the solicitation or act of prostitution is taking place, most often by the use of "John's" or undercover cops. If they were going to arrest you I suspect they would have already done so.

You need to stop using the web, or change the people you associate with.

Yes you can be arrested at either. It may also just be a scare tactic, so my opinion is to live life normally and of course not commit any crimes. If you are arrested say nothing and ask to contact a lawyer ASAP. There is nothing you will say that will help, let criminal defense lawyer help.

You can only be arrested if the police can prove it is true. A report is not enough. The police need to either see it themselves or confirm it with several witnesses. And its not likely a serious enough crime that the police will go to the trouble of tracking down and interviewing multiple witnesses, writing reports, and then filing for an arrest warrant. Its most likely someone trying to scare you.

Probably not. You might also want to change your e-mail address to prevent what appears to be harassment.

The police don't send emails. Ever. They just arrest you or call you to come in and "talk".

The answer would depend on what evidence is available to support the charge. It seems unlikely that the statement of a potential witness alone would support a criminal charge without some supplementary proof.

It is unlikely that the police would send you an email about something like that. There are a lot of phishing scams that pop up in our email accounts looking for money or personal information. If you actually offered to have sex with someone for money, you will get a summons in the mail directing you to appear in a specific court, at a specific time and on a specific date. If not, I wouldn't worry about it.

Sure. If the facts and evidence show that you have engaged in such activity.

I have no idea what kind of evidence the police would rely upon to try to get an arrest warrant. It seems unlikely that detectives would invest much time or energy in pursuing such a petty misdemeanor unless you were actually observed by police committing the crime. I wouldn't lose much sleep over it if I were you. Even if you were charged with a crime somehow, this is usually the kind of thing that would only involve a citation. They don't typically take people into custody for petty misdemeanors like this.

Unless you have a previous record or are on probation or some legal restriction you will probably just get a citation or summons to appear at court.