Seven arrested in prostitution sting

LINDALE — Seven men were arrested early Wednesday morning after a prostitution sting at a hotel in Lindale. According to our news partner KETK, all were charged with solicitation of prostitution and booked into the Smith County Jail. The suspects are 47-year-old Rodney Barbee of Tyler, 45-year-old Richard Leon Bishop of LaRue, 53-year-old Kenneth Cossey Brantley of Tyler, 54-year-old Larry Lacey of Whitehouse, 56-year-old Thomas Scott Griffith of Murchison, 31-year-old Jeremy Stallings of Decatur, and 52-year-old Victor Urieta-Luna of Tyler. Griffith and Stallings were also charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon. The operation was headed by the Department of Public Safety in coordination with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and the Lindale Police Department. Further details weren’t immediately available.