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49ers owner York contacted prostitution ad 3 times before arrest

ESPN NFL •
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San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York used a pseudonym and responded multiple times to a fictitious ad for a prostitute prior to his arrest in Ohio over the weekend, according to an incident report obtained Tuesday by ESPN.

In the report, officers with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force wrote that York identified himself as a man named "Joe" in response to the ad, posted by an undercover officer posing as a woman on a "known prostitution web site." York contacted the undercover officer twice Saturday with no response before the officer responded to a third message sent Sunday and offered to meet that morning in East Palestine, Ohio.

Officers arrested York after he arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location, Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community, with the phone used to communicate and $160, the agreed fee for one hour of sexual services. York was charged with two misdemeanors, later amended to disorderly conduct as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded no contest, paid $1,150 in fines, and was sentenced to one day in jail for each charge, with one day considered served.

The incident has cast a national spotlight on East Palestine and Wheat Hill. A Facebook post from Wheat Hill expressed shock, noting law enforcement assured them no addresses in the park were used in the sting. The incident report states York was given a fictitious lot number. The 49ers said they would have no comment as the legal matter is resolved.