Three men arrested after Sarasota Police sting operation

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Published: Dec. 24, 2023 at 12:18 PM EST

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Strategic Investigations Unit of the Sarasota Police Department conducted a sting operation this week, catching three local men in the process.

It all happened at the intersection where the Flamingo Inn is located.

Juan Dixon arrived at the intersection in a black Toyota Camry at 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday and offered an undercover officer $60 for sex. Police contacted and arrested him without issue. Dixon has been charged with soliciting a prostitute. He has a long record of arrests, from battery to cocaine possession.

Yazan Awwad showed up a few hours later, around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, also in a black Toyota Camry. He approached the same officer that Dixon did, and he offered $200 for oral sex that led to “full service.” Officers then arrested Awwad, charging him with soliciting a prostitute. This is his first offense.

Steven Wheeler, a convicted felon, pulled up to the same intersection on Wednesday in his white GMC truck around 1:30 p.m., and he offered an undercover detective $200 for what he termed “full service.”

When they arrived just down the road at the Super 8, officers were ready to meet him. Wheeler had $380 in cash on him, as well as a Glock magazine, a white tube sock full of more ammo, and an unidentified substance in a pill bottle that police sent in for testing.