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Bloomington police sting nets arrests
A sex trafficking and prostitution sting in Bloomington has resulted in the arrest of more than a dozen men.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A sex trafficking and prostitution sting in Bloomington has ended with the arrest of 14 men, and police chief Booker Hodges not mincing words at a news conference.
"In Bloomington, we do not have the Red-Light District. We have the orange jumpsuit district, and a bunch of guys found that out the hard way," Hodges said Wednesday.
The effort was part of a one-week sting during which police used undercover cops as decoys that posed as prostitutes or juveniles that could be paid for sex.
"Don’t come to our city and try to mess with little girls man, you go to jail for that," Hodges said.
According to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, Minnesota is one of the top locations in the U.S. for child sex trafficking. A six-month study by local prosecutors found more than 34,000 ads posted online for sex in the Twin Cities.
The cases should be wrapped up in a couple of weeks to be sent over to prosecutors for possible charges.
If you are a victim of sex trafficking and need help contact Day One Services, or call 612-399-9977.