First Sentenced Handed Down from July Human Trafficking Reduction Operation

The first defendant charged in a July 2026 human trafficking demand-reduction operation in Taney and Stone counties has resolved his case.

Bryan Justin Mason, 39, of Forsyth, pleaded guilty this week to the misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution. A Taney County judge suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) and placed Mason on two years of supervised probation. Under Missouri law, an SIS generally means no formal conviction is entered if probation is successfully completed.

Mason was among eight people arrested during a Human Trafficking Demand Reduction operation conducted in July by the Stone and Taney County Sheriff's Offices as well as the Missouri Attorney General's Office.

According to court records, the suspects allegedly responded to sexually explicit advertisements and agreed to pay amounts typically ranging from $115 to $350 for sexual activity.

Among the other men charged, Clarence Wayne Haney is facing charges of enticement of a child, patronizing prostitution, and supplying liquor to a minor after allegedly agreed to have sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old. His next appearance in Taney County Circuit Court is August 27. 

Two other defendants, Desmond Jerome Melton and Branson Blake, have court appearances scheduled in September while the other three defendants, Jason Still, Nick Ward, and Reginald Kelley, were scheduled in court this week but information has not been released through court records.