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Prostitution sting nets part-time judge

Justice of the peace pro-tem jailed on solicitation charge

By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL
A weekend police sweep targeting street prostitution in Las Vegas landed a part-time judge in jail on a solicitation charge Saturday.

Mark Peplowski -- who is listed by Clark County as a justice of the peace pro-tem and who also teaches political science at the Community College of Southern Nevada in Henderson -- was arrested Saturday during a sting operation on Fremont Street. Detectives said he solicited a sex act from a prostitute, according to police reports.

Peplowski, 51, declined to comment on his arrest when contacted by the Review-Journal on Monday.

Las Vegas police Sgt. Chris Jones said the arrest was made during a police undercover operation called P.I.M.P., which stands for Prostitutes Incarcerated by Metropolitan Police.

The sweep resulted in 184 arrests in the Las Vegas Valley over the weekend.

"Obviously, when you run an operation such as this, you are casting out a net ... and we get people from all walks of life," Jones said.

According to police reports, officers conducting an undercover investigation in the 3100 block of Fremont Street on Saturday night observed a possible prostitute, 35-year-old Karen Harris, and a man thought to be her pimp, 46-year-old Antonio Rufin, interacting on the street.

As an undercover officer drove by the woman, she tried to approach his vehicle.

Officers later approached the woman on foot, and as they were doing so, a white pickup driven by a male pulled up, and the woman got in.

Rufin then told undercover police, "She is going to work."

Police watched as the pickup pulled into a parking lot on Mojave Street. The lights on the pickup were turned off, and the truck stayed there for about 30 minutes.

Then, Harris exited the vehicle and she was observed giving something to Rufin.

As the pickup drove off, police stopped the vehicle, and they encountered Peplowski in the driver's seat.

"Peplowski stated to (an officer) that he had Harris in his truck in an attempt to locate an unknown female," a police report states.

When Peplowski was asked some more questions by police, Peplowski told them "he is a lawyer and a judge pro tem."

When Harris was interviewed, she said Peplowski asked her for a sex act in return for $40.

"She said that after he had given her an extra $10 after the act, he gave her his phone number on a piece of paper, and that if she ever needed a lawyer, she could call him," police said.

When police questioned Rufin, they recovered $50 from Rufin.

Also in his pocket was a piece of paper with the name "Mark" on it with a phone number.

"Harris filled out a voluntary statement stating that this incident was an act of prostitution," according to the police report.

When Peplowski was arrested, he started "crying heavily," according to the arrest report.

"What can I do to get out of this?" Peplowski was quoted as saying. "I'll do anything to get out of this!"

Peplowski was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of soliciting prostitution. Harris was charged with soliciting as well, and Rufin was charged with pandering and living off the earnings of a prostitute.

A spokeswoman for the Community College of Southern Nevada confirmed Peplowski works at the university.

A Secretary of State's office press release from 2005 indicated he has been a political science professor at CCSN's Henderson campus since 2000, and that he was recently recognized by the state Legislature for his efforts in promoting democracy.

In 2003, he was named Teacher of the Year by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, according to the release.

JCT wrote:Other day another who is a family court judge got arrested for beating his girlfriend.

88 wrote:You'd have to pay me $50 to hit it.