APRIL 3--In the course of an undercover operation targeting a suspected prostitute, a Pennsylvania police officer disrobed, allowed the woman to place a condom on him, and then engaged in sexual activity with her before announcing that, “the cops were coming.”

The unorthodox March 22 operation resulted in the arrest of Diana Gross, 26, on four prostitution-related charges.

According to a criminal complaint, Gross placed an ad on Backpage.com offering her services as an escort. “By the end of your session with me Your once wished fantsay's will no longer just be dreams But finally your reality!,” the ad promised. Gross is seen above in a photo from an escort ad.

As detailed by Detective Ronald DePellegrin of the Homestead Police Department, he called the number and arranged a $145 half-hour session with Gross, who uses the alias “Beckie Dymon.”

DePellegrin added that, at Gross’s request, he purchased baby wipes and condoms before meeting her at an apartment in Homestead, a borough outside Pittsburgh.

After entering a bedroom, the 48-year-old DePellegrin reported, “Beckie asked me if I was a cop. I told her no and asked her if she was one. She told me no.” DePellegrin added that “Beckie” then removed her shirt, exposing her breasts, and “instructed me to touch her.” Which DePellegrin apparently did.

She then “asked me if she could grab me. At this she grabbed my groin,” noted DePellegrin, who subsequently watched as “Becky” got “totally undressed.” After being directed to do the same, DePellegrin “disrobed” as “Beckie took a condom and placed it on me.”

By this point, critics might argue, DePellegrin had clearly established probable cause that Gross was engaged in prostitution and other illegal acts. The late-afternoon encounter, however, continued.

“Beckie started to perform oral sex on me when I said oh shit the cops are coming,” DePellegrin stated. “Beckie stopped performing the act and looked out the window.” With a break in the action, DePellegrin removed the condom, quickly dressed, and announced that he was a Homestead detective (and that “Beckie” was under arrest).

After DePellegrin (seen at left) identified himself, the naked Gross tried to run from the room, but was detained by the cop. Along with cash that had been hidden inside a chair cushion, cops seized “syringes and other drug paraphernalia for the ingestion of heroin.” DePellegrin reported that these items “were viewed by me during my encounter with Gross.”

In an interview, Gross’s lawyer, Michael Waltman, called DePellegrin’s actions “outrageous,” adding that a civil rights lawsuit against police is a possibility.

Gross was released from jail yesterday. Her March 22 Backpage ad, which describes her as a “cLaSSy PrOviDeR,” remains online. (3 pages)