CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson says most prostitution and sex trafficking arrests in Horry County are made because of websites like Backpage.com.
That’s why there’s controversy over a new federal proposal to remove legal protections for websites that host the adult service ads.
Right now, websites like Backpage.com are protected by the communications decency act so operators aren’t liable for anything posted by a third party.
Some lawmakers want to change that, but Solicitor Jimmy Richardson says he hopes federal lawmakers take a second look.
In Myrtle Beach, it’s not hard to find prostitution. Hundreds of ads posted from the Grand Strand area are on Backpage.com, and Richardson says police constantly monitor those ads.
“Over 50% of prostitution arrests would be related, maybe not directly to Backpage, but to some similar website,” said Richardson.
In a police report, Myrtle Beach Police say they used Backpage.com to meet up with Kerry Lewis and Julius Riley in a human trafficking sting to save a juvenile girl.
The bill would close what federal lawmakers call a loophole for human trafficking through third-party websites, but Richardson says they have to look at all sides.
“It’s not a great thing to have it disguised or behind walls because the illegal act is still going on. However, it’s better than just walking the streets and having the entire community moral standard changing around that,” said Richardson.
Richardson says prostitution shouldn’t be as easy as a Google search, and that whatever law comes out needs to be narrowly tailored to apply to human trafficking and prostitution.
But, he says changing the law won’t end an age-old problem.
“It’s constantly evolving, and I don’t think anybody should be under the misguided idea that if you close it down from backpages that it won’t pop back up somewhere else,” said Richardson.
News13 reached out to South Carolina Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham to see why they co-sponsored the bill.
So far, we haven’t heard back.