Concord man in undercover sting designed to catch local sex traffickers

Jonnie Bartholomew, 21, was charged with pimping and pandering, but failed to show up to his first court appearance this month, records show.

DUBLIN — A Concord man is being sought by police on charges of pimping and pandering, after he allegedly brought a sex worker to an appointment with undercover cops posing as buyers, court records show.

Jonnie Bartholomew, 21, was charged with two felonies after a May undercover sting in Dublin, in which officers responded to prostitution ads online and arranged to meet at a hotel in Dublin. When Bartholomew allegedly showed up to the meeting with a woman, he was arrested.

Police say they later found evidence on Bartholomew’s phone that he was schooling the woman on how to be a prostitute and offered to purchase a hotel room for her to facilitate prostitution. Since Bartholomew was on probation for a January drug conviction in Solano County, police searched his car and allegedly found a large cache of condom packages and personal lubricant.

Bartholomew failed to appear at his first court hearing on June 10, and a $100,000 warrant was issued for his arrest. It remains active, according to court records.