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WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (WJW) -- The Eastlake City Council president charged with soliciting for sex following a state-led human trafficking sting has pleaded guilty, but will not be jailed.
John C. Meyers, 57, of Eastlake, in March pleaded not guilty in March to a third-degree misdemeanor count of solicitation, but entered a guilty plea in Willoughby Municipal Court on Wednesday, court records show.
But he won't spend time in jail. A 60-day jail sentence ordered in the case was suspended, records show. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and to stay out of hotels and motels within the Willoughby court's jurisdiction.
Meyers identified himself when FOX 8 News reached him by phone Wednesday afternoon, but he hung up. FOX 8 News has also reached out to Meyers' attorney, James O'Leary of Painesville, for comment.
Meyers was one of six men charged with soliciting for sex following a human trafficking sting in Northeast Ohio by the Ohio Attorney General's Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, and authorities in Wickliffe and Lake County, according to Attorney General Dave Yost.
“The point of our task forces is to send a message to those who buy and sell human beings: We’re coming for you, we’re going to bust you and make sure everybody knows what you did. Don’t buy sex in Ohio!” Yost is quoted in a previous news release.