Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Two people have been charged after a prostitution investigation in Bristol Township.
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Police said their investigation focused on the Rodeway Inn along Green Lane by Route 13 during the month of October.
In recent years, residents have complained about suspected prostitution in the area of Route 13 and Green Lane, which sits just off the I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
While conducting surveillance on the motel, investigators noticed men entering a room, staying for five to 30 minutes and then leaving, police said.
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The room was found to be registered to a man and woman with a New Jersey phone number left behind. The number was then traced to a website popular for finding escorts, police said.
The page on the escort website had a photo of the woman spotted with the men at the motel and a list of services she offered. The listing noted she worked in Bucks County and accepted payment in various forms, police said.
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Officers spotted man at the motel as they dialed the number connected to the ad. The man picked up the phone tied to number listed on the escort service ad, police said.
An undercover officer communicated with the number on October 26 and set up an appointment for sex with the woman for $100, police said.
The man – identified as Mark Baffuto, 50, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey – was spotted leaving the room before the appointment and surveying the parking lot before the undercover officer arrived, police said.
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Once an officer confirmed the woman was willing to perform a sex act for money, Baffuto was taken into custody, police said.
Baffuto was charged with a prostitution-related charge and criminal use of a communication facility. He was preliminarily arraigned and held on 10 percent of $150,000 bail, which he later posted.
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The 32-year-old woman who was set to perform the sex act was charged with a misdemeanor prostitution-related charge. She was released on a nonmonetary bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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