BY JENNIFER A. BOWEN
News-Democrat
A Caseyville woman was arrested on suspicion of prostitution Thursday evening after a Craigslist.com ad led police to her.
Lynn M. Collins, 28, of 500 Hollywood Heights Road, was arrested by an undercover investigator about 5 p.m. Thursday at a hotel in Fairview Heights.
Mike Hundelt, a cybercrimes investigator for St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, spent about a week communicating via the Internet with Collins after he received an anonymous tip about Collins' Craigslist ad. Hundelt made up a fake name and user account and used undercover computers that prevent the fake address to be tracked back to the department.
Collins sent Hundelt pictures of herself and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the investigator.
The arrest of Collins by using a Craigslist ad was the first prostitution arrest of its kind by the sheriff's department, according to investigator Capt. Steve Johnson.
It was also at least the third arrest in recent weeks in the metro-east involving an alleged prostitute using Craigslist. A woman was arrested in Belleville last Friday. The Belleville arrest was even discussed between Collins and Hundelt. Last month, a woman was arrested in Waterloo in the same manner.
During e-mail exchanges, detectives set up a meeting and sex for money was discussed.
Working with the Fairview Heights Police Department, Hundelt and Collins arranged a meeting at a hotel in Fairview Heights. An undercover investigator was waiting in the hotel room when the suspect showed up, money was exchanged and promises of sexual acts made.
Collins also had an active bench warrant for failing to appear on a shoplifting charge. Her car and residence were also searched and items of evidence were recovered.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified of the arrest because children were at her residence.
Collins was taken to the St. Clair County Jail, where she was booked on a misdemeanor prostitution charge. She posted a $1,000 bond Thursday evening.
Thinly veiled ads for prostitution are common on Craigslist, with a search of the St. Louis site turning up several thousand listings, including ones in Brooklyn, Belleville, Cahokia, Caseyville, Collinsville, East St. Louis and Edwardsville. Most of the online classified ads on the site are people trying to buy or sell used items such as musical instruments or advertising services such as auto repair.
Contact reporter Jennifer Bowen at jbowen@bnd.com or 239-2667.
