2 arrested in Albemarle prostitution sting

A prostitution sting in Albemarle County apartment complex has resulted in two arrests.
Santo Virgilio Lemus, 31, of Albemarle, was charged Thursday with receiving money from earnings of male or female prostitutes, a felony. Police listed Lemus’ address as Commonwealth Drive, although it was unclear if he lives in the apartment complex.
Elizabeth Huertas Rondon, 37, of Washington, D.C., was charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor.
County police spokesman Lt. Todd Hopwood said authorities received a complaint about a month ago about prostitution on Commonwealth Drive involving a juvenile. However, Hopwood said no juveniles were arrested in connection with Thursday’s sting at the Autumn Hill apartment complex.

Not many people are arrested for prostitution in the county, Hopwood said, but police have gotten information about prostitution in the Charlottesville area that reportedly was posted on the “erotic services” category of Craigslist.
The category was discontinued on U.S.-based Craigslist pages in May, a month after the slaying of a masseuse who placed ads on the online classifieds site. Craigslist replaced the erotic services category in the spring with an “adult services” section, for which the Web site said it would screen submissions before posting them.
Authorities across the country have blasted the site in recent years, accusing Craigslist of making it too easy to promote prostitution. Craigslist starting charging for the erotic services ads in November, requiring posters to use a credit card that authorities presumably could use to track users offering illegal acts.

Hopwood said the county police haven’t tracked many prostitution cases online or offline because the department doesn’t have a lot of resources. However, the spokesman said the department investigates cases if a juvenile may be involved, as was alleged at Commonwealth Drive.
Lemus was held without bond at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Re-gional Jail as of Friday morning. His next court appearance has been scheduled for Aug. 6.
Rondon is scheduled to appear July 14 in court.