Another UGA faculty member arrested for prostitution

In the ongoing “Pimps and Hos Party” that apparently passes for academia in Athens, another faculty member is arrested for taking things a little too far.

Bobby J. Stanton, a professional in UGA’s chemistry department, was charged with pandering after he offered an female undercover officer money for sex, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. In early June, a UGA professor of German, Max Reinhart, was charged with prostitution in Gwinnett County after police said he offered sex for $60.

Stanton has “already reported to the Office of Legal Affairs, which he is required to do in 72 hours,” said UGA spokeswoman Wendy Jones. “The department head is aware of the matter and (the university’s legal affairs office) will proceed as appropriate.”

Last week, UGA officials announced Reinhart will retire next spring.

Stanton was one of eight men and one woman arrested during an undercover sting targeting people looking for sex on the Backpage website, according to Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry. The woman was charged with prostitution.

“We posted ads on Backpage and we responded to ads on Backpage,” Berry said Friday.

At times, officers were busy.

“At one point, we had one suspect in the room, another pulling up to the motel, and another five minutes away. We had a steady stream of folks, both calling and arriving at the hotel,” the sheriff said.

None of those arrested carried illegal drugs or weapons, according to Berry.

The male suspects all met with a female undercover officer who works for the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Berry said. Deputies had a room where the people would meet under secret surveillance.

“They were under surveillance for the protection of the undercover deputy — and evidence was gathered in the recordings of the conversations and the payment of money for a specific sex act,” the sheriff said.

The 23-year-old woman charged with prostitution had actually posted an advertisement on Backpage and was arrested after she offered sex in exchange for money, according to Berry.

The arrests should send a message to those who would meet with prostitutes in the county, according to Berry.