Washington County Looking To Crack Down On Sex Trafficking

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- In Washington County, authorities are working to crack down on sex trafficking.

Since mid-December, law enforcement agencies have worked together to bring charges against six men accused of aiding and abetting sex trafficking.

"Probably five weeks of different complaints that have been issued," said Imran Ali, a prosecutor with the Washington County Attorney's Office.

Ali has overseen the cases and filed the charges. He said the issue of sex trafficking is more than just a big city problem.

"I think it's changed, it's evolved. It used to be more open air solicitation in certain areas of the cities and now, with emergence of social media and internet-based platforms for solicitation, it's everywhere. This problem isn't just confined to the big city or certain areas in the city, it's anywhere and everywhere," Ali said.

His most recent cases involve six men accused of forcing women into prostitution. Four of the cases came down just this year, a pace that could lead to a record number of sex trafficking arrests for 2017. Last year, the Washington County Attorney's Office charged 12 cases total.

The arrests are the result of a commitment made by law enforcement in 2015 to create a multi-agency task force to address the issue.

"We knew there was a problem. We knew that law enforcement, to solve the problem, had to work together," Ali said.

"I think it's been quite alarming to us on the law enforcement side just how much of this is out there that we were probably missing before," Woodbury police detective Paul Kroshus said.

Kroshus is among those working to make the arrests. He relies on tips but also takes a proactive approach through undercover stings at area hotels often set up through internet solicitations.

"I think that the increase that we've seen lately has been that we're getting better at what we're doing, and we're getting more proficient with it," Kroshus said.

Law enforcement are also taking a different approach with those forced into sex trafficking by no longer treating the victims of sex trafficking as criminals. Kroshus says it's helped investigators build their cases and bring charges against those responsible for sex trafficking.

"We interview them and we treat them as a victim, which is probably uncommon for how they've been treated in the past and I think that that approach from the law enforcement side has definitely helped us," Kroshus said.

"Rather than focusing on them, we're focusing on individuals who are benefiting from them. For years, they've been shielded and these young women, they're the ones going to court. They're the ones facing the charges while the trafficker is behind the scenes profiting and benefiting from it," Ali said.

The men arrested in Washington County since mid-December include:

Tyree Erik Jones, 23, who is facing two counts of aiding and abetting engages in sex trafficking of an individual.
Freddie Lockett Jr., 40, faces one count of promoting prostitution of an individual.
Adam James Krimpelbein, 32, charged with aiding and abetting engages in the sex trafficking of an individual.
Deno Lamont Williams, 32, who is facing two counts of aiding and abetting engages in sex trafficking of an individual.
Maurice Leander Briggs, 40, who faces one count of promoting prostitution of an individual.
Dustin Jeffrey Arthur Heichert, 30, facing one count of aiding and abetting engages in the sex trafficking of an individual.