A suspended Erie County sheriff's deputy appeared in Lancaster Town Court Tuesday, arraigned in connection with a prostitution case involving his wife.

WBFO's Michael Mroziak reports.

Wallace Waliczek, age 52, is charged with one count of promoting prostitution. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail.

His case stems from the August arrest of his wife, Melissa, which came after investigators allege she arrived at the parking lot of a local movie theater with the intent to meet with someone who had responded to an online post offering a sexual liaison.

"Lancaster P.D. started it. They were the ones who searched the internet and found her post," said Flynn. "And they met her in the parking lot. The Sheriff's Office got involved after Lancaster got involved. The Lancaster office told the Sheriff's Office one of their deputies is involved here. And then the Sheriff got involved with our office and we continue the investigation in this case."

Mr. Waliczek remains suspended without pay. He was, according to Flynn, working within the Erie County Holding Center. Mrs. Waliczek's case, meanwhile, has been moved from Lancaster and is now pending in Human Trafficking Court in Buffalo.

Flynn says while the investigation continues, the question has been raised whether Melissa Waliczek may have been coerced into her alleged actions.

"If I believe she is a pure victim here, who may nor may not have been forced in her activity by her husband - which again, is an allegation, I'm not saying that she was - but I will look into all aspects of this and then make a decision on how to handle her case in the future," Flynn said.

The DA also stated that he takes human trafficking seriously and staffs two Erie County Sheriff's Deputies, a Town of Tonawanda Police officer and Town of Amherst Police officer on his own task force.

Mr. Waliczek's next court appearance is scheduled for January 7 at 11 a.m. He was released Tuesday on his own recognizance.