The vernal police department has made a priority of investigating sex solicitation cases, typically involving adult men looking to pay for casual sex with adult women. And the department’s approach relies on an undercover detective engaging in sometimes lengthy online conversations with alleged perpetrators.
But critics say Vernal’s investigative tactics may be stepping into the realm of entrapment, and prompting men to commit a crime when they otherwise would not. Those critics say that for the accused, pleading guilty and paying a fine may be easier, and less public, than challenging the grounds of their arrest.