Pleasanton man gets probation, fine, in sex-trafficking case

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - A judge Thursday put a Pleasanton man on probation for a conviction for soliciting prostitution.

Shawn Paitz, 49, was put on 12 months probation and fined $500. He also received a 15-day suspended jail sentence.

Paitz was one of three area men arrested in August when investigators with the Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, and Nebraska State Patrol conducted an undercover human trafficking operation to target and identify individuals soliciting prostitution in the Kearney area.

Charles Johnson, 69, of Holdrege, was convicted of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution and was sentenced to 16 days time served in jail and 12 months probation.

James Hahn, 56, of Hastings, was sentenced to 61 days in jail and 18 months probation for soliciting prostitution and a separate misdemeanor drug conviction.

This was a Multi-State Human trafficking operation led by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Missouri Highway Patrol, where agencies from 12 states participated in “Operation United Front.”

Across the 12-state area, the operation led to 102 arrests and the rescue of 47 victims and sex workers including two minor victims.