Fla. police chief busted in threeway sex-for-hire sting

Doug Stanglin | USATODAY

A South Florida police chief has been fired after his arrest in a prostitution sting for allegedly trying to arrange a threesome with an undercover officer, according to local media reports.

Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson, who was fired Friday night and released from jail Saturday morning, did not deny the charges to waiting reporters.

"The stress overwhelmed me," he said, "and I made a very bad decision."

The 53-year-old Johnson, who was hired last May, was arrested Friday evening on a charge of soliciting a prostitute in Dania Beach, the Miami Herald reports.

Michael Wright, a detective and police department spokesman, said Johnson was arrested at a motel during a sting operation conducted by the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

According to the arrest report, Johnson first spoke by phone with the undercover officer who told him a 30-minute session would cost $60, but he struck a deal for two women for $100.

He then showed up at the motel and was arrested after giving her $100.

At Miami Gardens, a town of around 100,000 located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Johnson, formerly the police chief and city manager of North Miami, supervised a department of around 200 officers.

Cameron Benson, Miami Gardens city manager, told the Sun-Sentinel that he fired Johnson immediately upon learning of his arrest.

"It was one of the most painful things I've ever heard as a manager," Benson told the newspaper. "To hear that type of news, it's like a punch in the stomach. It was something that I just couldn't fathom that was being told to me."

The newspaper said detectives mounted the sting operation by placing an online escort ad that offered a "two-girl special," in addition to price rates and a telephone number.