*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PROSTITUTION ARRESTS NET JUVENILE RUNAWAY FEATURED ON THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EXPLOITED AND MISSING CHILDREN WEB SITE MEDIA CONTACT:  Curtis Hill,  296-1888 On Thursday morning at approximately 8:30am Chief Investigator Bill Wargo of the Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney's Office was driving in  the 700 blk of W. Franklin St. He observed a young female who waved him over. In a conversation with her it was determined that she was soliciting for sex in exchange for money. She indicated that she was 20 years old. The female inquired as where Investigator Wargo worked and he told her that he “worked in a law office in downtown Elkhart. He made arrangements to meet her later in the morning and contacted the Elkhart Police Department. The Elkhart Police Department has been conducting sting operations in and around the downtown Elkhart area to try to impact the street level prostitution that is taking place. Later in the day Investigator Wargo returned to the area with back up from Elkhart Police Department uniformed Lt. Ed Windbigler standing by. The female that Investigator Wargo had spoken to earlier was not around but he was solicited by another female for sex in exchange for money.This female, Jennifer Pam Martin, age 24, was arrested for Prostitution. She was also booked in on an additional charge due to a crack cocaine pipe that was found on her person. Ms. Martin has a previous conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia which makes this offense a Class D Felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison. Once Martin was booked into the city jail Wargo and Lt. Windbigler returned to the 700 blk of W. Franklin St. where Wargo observed the same young female from the early morning encounter. He again engaged the female in a conversation and she again offered sex for money. She was then arrested for Prostitution. During the booking process she gave a name and a date of birth which would indicate that she was 18 years old.In checking further it was determined that the female was in fact only 15 years old and that she had been featured as an Endangered Runaway on the web site for the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The female had been reported as a runaway in September of this year from Marshall County Indiana. During booking the female admitted to using crack cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana and that she was involved in prostitution to pay for her drug habit. This child, who is currently on Probation in Marshall County, will be handled through the Juvenile Justice System.   ***