A Solano County Superior Court judge on Wednesday sentenced a 30-year-old Oakland man convicted of pimping and pandering to nearly 19 years in state prison.
Judge John B. Ellis handed down a sentence of 18 months and 8 months against Eric Pree during a proceeding in Department 23 in the Justice Building in Vallejo.
Court records show that during a traffic stop in late 2023, Pree was found to be in possession of evidence linking him to the solicitation and employment of women engaged in prostitution. On Aug. 16, 2024, he was arrested by Vacaville police officers in the 4700 block of Business Center Drive as he was attempting to recruit another prostitute to work for him, according to jail records and a press statement released Thursday by the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
Throughout the investigation, Vacaville detectives were able to identify six women whom Pree victimized.
The DA’s Office filed an original criminal complaint against him on Aug. 20, charging him with pimping and pandering the identified women.
Following a Sept. 17 preliminary hearing, the DA’s Office filed an amended complaint against Pree, a previously convicted felon.
During a January trial — and after three weeks of testimony — jurors on Jan. 31 found Pree guilty of 10 felony counts of pimping and pandering. The jury also found to be true that he had been previously convicted of robbery.
Vacaville Police detectives Megan King, Daniel Baxley, and Scott Lamphiear investigated the case. Deputy District Attorney Luke Leichty led the prosecution.
Alternate Public Defender Sayuri Takagawa represented Pree, who remains in the Claybank Detention Facility in Fairfield, where he awaits transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Distrct Attorney Krishna Abrams urges anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or human trafficking — or knows someone who has — and needs the help of an advocate, to call (707) 784-6827.