Robert Owens arrested in Lemon Grove after flyers found on lamp posts

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Concerned citizens recently contacted law enforcement after noticing “bizarre” fliers on utility poles in Lemon Grove. It was a “see something, say something” scenario that resulted in an arrest.

As the San Diego County Sheriff's Department explains, the flyers advertised the AZ24.CO website. The messages claimed to sell various items like women's clothing. Some flyers also insinuated an interest in finding partners to “cuddle” and “drink” with.

Many residents in the Lemon Grove area saw this as a major “wake-up call.”

The Sheriff's Department worked with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force to look into the matter. The website only had the message in the screenshot below:

An infiltration operation is then launched. The Sheriff's Department said deputies and officers posed as a 16-year-old girl and responded to the ad on Wednesday, May 22.

An individual responded and was allegedly solicited for sexual acts, authorities said. The person then allegedly organized a meeting with the businessman for sex.

The sheriff's department said a man, now identified as Robert Owens, 48, arrived at the meeting location. He was then arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor.

The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is now asking for the public's help in determining if anyone else has been a victim or has seen these ads posted in other areas of the county.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477, or submit a tip online at www.sdcrimestoppers.org/anonymous-tip.