AUSTIN, Texas — Two men were arrested on felony charges for solicitation of prostitution as a part of an Austin Police Department (APD) sting operation on Saturday. One of them was a firefighter at the Austin Fire Department.
An affidavit obtained by the KVUE Defenders show that the Human Trafficking Unit at APD carried out a human trafficking sting operation, with officers posing as a 16-year-old girl. One detective posted on a website known for users purchasing sexual acts.
Keith Radovcich, 53, asked the supposed 16-year-old for specific sexual acts and agreed to pay $400 in cash for them. Around 4 p.m., Radovcich texted that he was at a hotel.
APD officers responded with the room number, and Radovcich entered the room with cash in hand. He was arrested on the spot by APD officers.
His recommended bond was set at $6,000. Two days later, a man by the same name retired from the Austin Fire Department.
According to the affidavit, APD believes "Radovcich did commit the offense of solicitation of prostitution when he agreed to pay $400 to have sexual intercourse with a person he believed to be 16 years old, drove to the arranged location and entered the hotel room with cash."
Jose Armando Jasso, 52, was also arrested on charges of solicitation of prostitution in a separate incident as a part of the sting operation.
Solicitation of prostitution, when a person "knowingly offers or agrees to pay a fee to another for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with that person or another," is a felony of the second degree if the person with "whom the actor agrees to engage in sexual conduct with" is younger than 18, or thought to be by the actor.
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