LEWISTON — An undercover police operation netted five men Wednesday who were accused of engaging a prostitute.

 

Early Wednesday afternoon, police sent an officer to the downtown area to pose as a prostitute. By the time the operation was over, police said she had been approached five times by men looking to pay money for sex.

 

Most of those accused were issued summonses for engaging in prostitution, although one man was arrested and booked at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.

 

Police did not say where the men were charged, although the operation was concentrated in the downtown areas along Ash Street.

 

For years, business owners and downtown residents have complained of prostitutes doing business at all hours of the day at spots along Ash and Pine streets.

 

As a result of the Wednesday operation, each of the following men faces a Class E crime, punishable by up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

 

• Timothy Plummer, 68, of Casco;

 

• Bruce Clukey, 68, of Lisbon Falls;

 

• Manuel Jesus Lujan-Valdiviezo, 61, of Lewiston;

 

• Mobula Dias Do Ceu, 41, of Auburn: and

 

• Gerard Begin, 77, of Sabattus.