(A) (1) No person shall solicit another who is 18 years of age or older to engage with the other person in sexual activity for hire.
(2) No person shall solicit another to engage with such other person in sexual activity for hire if the other person is 16 or 17 years of age and the offender knows that the other person is 16 or 17 years of age or is reckless in that regard.
(3) No person shall solicit another to engage with such other person in sexual activity for hire if either of the following applies:
(a) The other person is less than 16 years of age, whether or not the offender knows the age of the other person.
(b) The other person is a person with a developmental disability and the offender knows or has reasonable cause to believe the other person is a person with a developmental disability.
(B) (1) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of soliciting. A violation of division (A)(1) of this section is a misdemeanor of the third degree. A violation of division (A)(2) or (A)(3) of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(2) If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section or an attempt to commit a violation of division (A) of this section and if the person, in committing or attempting to commit the violation, was in, was on, or used a motor vehicle, the court, in addition to or independent of all other penalties imposed for the violation, may impose upon the offender a class six suspension of the person’s driver’s license, commercial driver’s license, temporary instruction permit, probationary license, or nonresident operating privilege from the range specified in R.C. § 4510.02(A)(6). In lieu of imposing upon the offender the class six suspension, the court instead may require the offender to perform community service for a number of hours determined by the court.
(C) As used in division (A) of this section:
PERSON WITH A DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY. Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 2905.32.
SEXUAL ACTIVITY FOR HIRE. Means an implicit or explicit agreement to provide sexual activity in exchange for anything of value paid to the person engaging in such sexual activity, to any person trafficking that person, or to any person associated with either such person.
(R.C. § 2907.24(A), (C)(1), (D), (E)) (Rev. eff. with 2017 S-18)
(D) No person, with purpose to solicit another to engage in sexual activity for hire and while in or near a public place, shall do any of the following:
(1) Beckon to, stop or attempt to stop another;
(2) Engage or attempt to engage another in conversation;
(3) Stop or attempt to stop the operator of a vehicle or approach a stationary vehicle;
(4) If the offender is the operator of or a passenger in a vehicle, stop, attempt to stop, beckon to, attempt to beckon to, or entice another to approach or enter the vehicle of which the offender is the operator or in which the offender is the passenger;
(5) Interfere with the free passage of another.
(E) As used in division (D) of this section:
PUBLIC PLACE means any of the following:
(a) A street, road, highway, thoroughfare, bikeway, walkway, sidewalk, bridge, alley, alleyway, plaza, park, driveway, parking lot or transportation facility.
(b) A doorway or entrance way to a building that fronts on a place described in division (1) of this definition.
(c) A place not described in division (1) or (2) of this definition that is open to the public.
VEHICLE. Has the same meaning as in R.C. § 4501.01.
(F) Whoever violates division (D) of this section is guilty of loitering to engage in solicitation, a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(R.C. § 2907.241) (Rev. eff. with 2015 S-16) (Ord. 79-1973, passed 12-19-73)
Statutory reference:
Offenders with knowledge that they test HIV positive, felony, see R.C. §§ 2907.24(B) and 2907.241(B)
Testing offenders for venereal disease and AIDS, see R.C. § 2907.27