A Dover city councilperson was one of six arrested Tuesday in a police sting aimed at curbing prostitution in a city that has, for several years, worked hard to reduce violent crime. Second District Councilman William Hare was charged with patronizing a prostitute.
The year-old man was released on a criminal summons, a department news release said. According to police, the sting came as part of the department's effort "to address quality of life issues" in Dover.
Police said the sting was carried out on Tuesday at an "undisclosed Dover-area hotel. Others arrested as part of the sting were similarly charged with patronizing a prostitute, though several also faced additional charges based on what police found on them.
Suspects in his killing have been charged. Those charges included resisting arrest, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia and gun charges. For the last several years, Dover has worked to improve quality of life for its residents. In , at least 33 people were shot in the city. According to this publication's internal shooting data, at least 40 people were injured in shootings in Dover in Since then, the number of people shot has decreased significantly.
This has coincided with the city's efforts to address blight, drug use and prostitution. It's unclear whether he plans to withdraw from the city's election. When reached for comment, Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen said the arrest was "out of my realm of authority" in regard to taking any action against Hare. This is a council thing that they're going to have to handle. Reporter Shannon McNaught contributed to this story.
