Truck Stop Reports

[Dcloser6]

I did indeed miss read some of it. My bad.

There used to be a great truck stop in Dayton (Huber Heights) along I-70 just around the intersection of I-75

Can't remember now if it was North or South of the intersection. If you were on I-70 heading WEST like from Columbus it was on the right hand side.

It may still be there, but I'm sure LEO has found it long ago.

I think it may have mad the newspapers a few times in the past.

That truck stop was a good one for finding. But closed over 15 years ago. There was also a massage palor down the street off that exit of 202 on Executive Blvd, also gone a long time ago.

The whole area redeveloped and no fun places anymore.

[PleasureGiver]

I did indeed miss read some of it. My bad.

There used to be a great truck stop in Dayton (Huber Heights) along I-70 just around the intersection of I-75

Can't remember now if it was North or South of the intersection. If you were on I-70 heading WEST like from Columbus it was on the right hand side.

It may still be there, but I'm sure LEO has found it long ago.

I think it may have mad the newspapers a few times in the past.

[Drtyolman]

It starts off talking about a Swift truck with 6500 pounds of weed in the box. Ohio is brought up in the article as being one of Pennsylvanias neighboring states that is known for high trafficking along with NY and NJ. As Cartog mentioned it is Carlisle PA, not Ohio. Next time I take my 10 around Dayton, I'll post my findings.

[Drtyolman]

The article is talking about Carlisle PA. Over there at the junction of I-81 and I-76. Not trying to start anything, just thought you may have misread it. Cartog is looking for reports on the stops around Dayton. Next time I take my 10 around there, I'll post my findings.

Play safe,

Drty

[PleasureGiver]

"Drugs are not the only illegal items being trafficked along I-81."

Thiere is no highway anywhere near Dayton ohio labeled Interstate 81.

[Cartog]

The article is informative, but it is about Carlisle, PA which is in Middlesex Township near Harrisburg, PA. Carlisle Ohio is in Franklin Township. Just thought I'd pass this on. It would be interesting to get a truck stop report on those in the Dayton area.

Have fun and be safe!

[Cleavage Lover]

I read this article in an online newspaper, publicopinionline. Com, the other day about a small area in Carlisle, Ohio, Middlesex Twp, which is near Dayton area. Sounds like it's quite a "Ho" Hot Spot, but it also seems like LEO is keeping a watchful eye on it, or at least the truckers:

"Drugs are not the only illegal items being trafficked along I-81. People are also "commodities" being moved into and out of central Pennsylvania along the interstate and surrounding highways, according to a spokeswoman for an international organization working to stop human trafficking.

"Ohio is a huge sex-trafficking state, as are New York and New Jersey, and we lie in between," said Julie Janovsky, senior policy specialist and communications adviser for the Polaris Project Action Center, headquartered in Washington, D. C."Given the nature of sex trafficking and what we know about surrounding states, there is no doubt it is going on here at truck stops and motels."

One particularly notorious area where woman are being forced into prostitution, said Janovsky, is along a short stretch of USA 11 south of Carlisle in Middlesex Township, which connects Interstate 81 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Dubbed the Miracle Mile, it is a crowded alley that contains 16 motels, three truck terminals and three truck stops.

It was at Gables truck stop that the FBI, working with state and local law enforcement authorities, conducted a prostitution investigation called Operation Precious Cargo between 2005-07. When it was concluded, an interstate prostitution and money-laundering ring based in Toledo, Ohio, had been cracked. In the process, a total of 40 pimps were arrested for prostituting 152 victims, some of whom were as young as 12, said Janovsky.

The victims of sex trafficking lead miserable lives in which they are enslaved by pimps. Violence and threats are the way they control their victims, explained Janovsky.

"It is done through physical force, which is threatened and is commonly carried out," she said."Some of the victims suffer terrible beatings and abuses. Sometimes it is also done through coercion. We've seen pimps take pictures of a victim being raped or in a precarious position and they will threaten that if they don't continue they will send the photo to a member of their family. Or they will also threaten to hurt someone the victim may care about."

Often the victim being prostituted is a juvenile, Janovsky said.

"It is estimated that 100, 000 children are prostituted in the USA each year. And the average age of a female when she gets into sex trafficking is 12 years old. That's the average," she said.

To combat the problem in Pennsylvania, a Human Trafficking Advisory Committee was formed in October to study ways to prevent human trafficking. It includes representatives from law enforcement, prosecutors and social-service agencies, Janovsky said.

"The next two years, it will be looking at all forms of human trafficking in Pennsylvania. Labor trafficking, sex trafficking and the commercial exploitation of children," she said."It will really dig into Pennsylvania's law to see what needs to be done. I'm certain that the I-81 corridor, as well as other corridors in the state, will be one of the big topics."

The Polaris Project is also advocating the passage of a state law that would require the posting of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline in truck stops, motels and other locations where victims are being forced into prostitution, said Janovsky. Laws have been introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate and House and have bipartisan support, she said.

Middlesex Township Police Chief Barry Sherman is well aware of the prostitution along the Miracle Mile. During the two years of Operation Precious Cargo, his force made more than 200 prostitution-related arrests, he said.

But prostitution is just one part of a crime problem that is directly related to transit along I-81, according to Sherman. Although Middlesex Township's 11 police officers patrol 110 miles of roads, he estimated that 55 percent of the department's $1 million budget is spent in battling crime on the Miracle Mile.

"There is lots of drug dealing, quite a few thefts of truck cargo, and with the transients that are dropped off, we have a lot of retail theft at the truck stops and robberies in the parking lots," he said.

Another headache for the Middlesex police force is dealing with frequent domestic disputes between broken families, said Sherman.

"Because we are at the crossroads between 81 and the turnpike, a lot of people meet here at rest stops to exchange the kids. I guess they are meeting face-to-face for the first time in a long time, and the things that have been brewing can explode," he said.

It is also a dangerous area to patrol, as Sherman experienced when one truck driver trying to flee a soliciting-prostitution charge knocked him down with his truck. The quick action of another police officer in grabbing the rig's emergency brake prevented him from being severely injured, he said.

"You are looking at acres and acres of parking," Sherman said."I imagine these lots can handle 250 trucks a night, and they are all filled. When you are in middle of that trying to solve a problem, it gets dangerous back there."

While some truck drivers may be committing crimes, others become victims when their cargo is stolen. Cargo thefts have been climbing in recent years, according to Nancy Wilkes, director of communications for the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. An organization of more than 2, 000 trucking and affiliated insurance companies. Increasingly, gangs of thieves are targeting trucks at warehouses and terminals, she said.

"The Miracle Mile is a pretty bad area," said Wilkes."It doesn't matter if you are hauling cigarettes or electronics; it is vulnerable for theft. Criminals are getting more sophisticated and seem to stay one step ahead of companies trying to keep loads secure."

While I-81 may provide access and a quick getaway for criminals who strike in the borough, Carlisle's six-term mayor, Kirk Wilson, said the traffic tie-ups from major accidents on the highway are a much bigger headache than its associated crime. More truck traffic from the warehouses that have sprouted near I-81 has only compounded the problem, he said.

"What happens is they close down the interstate, and that traffic ends up coming down our Main Street," he said."That brings traffic to standstill for the entire community."

It is not just a quality-of-life issue; it is a matter of safety, Wilson continued.

"It (the detour) blocks the north-to-south and east-to-west flow of traffic in Carlisle," he said."It makes it especially difficult for emergency apparatus to get through."

About 35 miles south of Carlisle, Chambersburg Mayor Peter Laviogne agreed with Wilson that Interstate 81 does not contribute greatly to his town's crime problem. Overall, it is a benefit to the economy of the town, which has a population of about 18, 500, he said.

"I'm sure there are criminals that use 81 on a regular basis. But we haven't had any real significant street-level crime that I would attribute to it," he said."Chambersburg is a small enough community that the issues we could have associated with 81, we don't have here. We have a good police force and a good undercover operation, so it would be hard for someone to set up shop without us knowing about it."

Cleavage Lover

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