An undercover investigation leads to charges against three women suspected of trying to sell sex in a busy tourist town.

Branson police and Combined Ozarks Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team or COMET task force officers arrested four women on October 9, 2008.

18-year-old Desiree L. Nicks, 44-year-old Tonya Rochell Osborne and 25-year-old Indianda L. Young are charged with misdemeanor prostitution.

Officers may have gone undercover but they say the women they arrested were trying to sell sex in very public ways; online and in the phonebook.

Branson is known for country music and family entertainment.

"That's the way we want Branson to stay," Assistant Manager of a Motel Rebecca Shetler says.

Investigators say just down the road from the big names on Branson's main street, a sting lead to the arrest of women using fake names to sell sex.

"Usually when you stay at a hotel you stay overnight but women will stay two to three hours and they'd never come back," Shetler says.

Shetler has lived in Branson for 16 years.

She says during the last three years, she's seen prostitution increase.

“You can tell by their attire but you can't just come out and ask them.” Shetler says. “You can’t ask are you a prostitute because people have rights."

After several hotel and motel owners called Branson police with concerns, police teamed up with task force officers.

Investigators went online to “Craig's List” and clicked on erotic services.

They say several women they contacted didn't show up to their sting but Osborne did.

They say Osborne charged $200 dollars.

Then officers opened up a phone book and called Jamie’s Escort Service.

They say Nicks and Young were sent to the hotel by a dispatcher named “Sam.”

Investigators say the two women posed as “Passion” and “Angel.”

Officers say the women charged $800 for sex acts.

Jamie’s Escort Service dispatcher told KSPR she sets up escorts from outside Missouri.

She told KSPR to call her back for an interview but didn't answer KSPR’s calls.

"The only way they could legally advertise that way is if they try to run a legitimate escort service but I don't know what a legitimate escort service would be,” Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell says.

Merrell says these charges are the first prostitution cases he's filed.

The prosecutor says the attorney general's office is more equipped to file on the companies who advertise out in the open.

Merrell says county prosecutors usually file against business for tax issues.

"We file charges against individuals who commit crimes,” Merrell says, “We aren’t typically in the business of filing charges against businesses because we can't jail a business."

Long time local, Shetler, says prostitution is bad for business in a town that relies on tourism.

"We see it because we are here everyday.” Shetler says. ”We just hope the tourists don’t see it."

Branson police did not take any booking photos when they arrested and released the women.

All three women have their addresses listed in Springfield.

The prosecutor says a fourth woman could be charged.

COMET investigators say a similar sting could net the same results in Springfield, Republic or any other city with erotic services listed on “Craig's List.”