BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Nearly two dozen men are facing criminal charges following a recent sting operation conducted by a team of law enforcement agencies from communities along the I-494 corridor.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges and leaders of departments from Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Richfield and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office met with reporters Monday to discuss the sting, which led to 23 Johns being arrested.
The operation involved creating a fake ad featuring an undercover officer posing as an adult sex worker and posting it on websites known to be used by those seeking sexual services. Hodges said in just two days, 211 men responded to the ad, with 23 of them being placed under arrest. The chief described a few who stumbled into the trap.
- A 36-year-old man experiencing homelessness who took public transportation to the alleged meeting site, carrying $200 in cash
- A 31-year-old convicted felon who showed up for the meet-up carrying a gun he is prohibited from possessing
- A man who drove to the Twin Cities from Durand, Wisconsin, also armed
- A 30-year-old with a permit to carry a weapon, who actually reached for his gun when confronted by officers
"The business of selling people's bodies for money is something we don't take lightly in this city," Hodges said. "Our partners here, they don't take it lightly in their cities either. So we're going to do everything we can to eradicate human trafficking."
Hodges noted that communities along I-494 encounter a higher level of sex trade activity due largely to the large number of hotels just off the interstate. He says Bloomington alone has 49 hotels and 10,000 rooms, adding that the police department and hotel administrators in his city have a strong relationship, and team up in an attempt to "eradicate human trafficking."
Most of the 23 men arrested in the most recent detail will be charged by the city attorney for gross misdemeanor sex offenses. The convicted felon busted with a gun could be charged with felony possession of a firearm.
After showing mug shots of the offenders, Chief Hodges offered up a final thought while holding up a picture of Amsterdam's red light district. "We don't have one of those in Bloomington," he told reporters. "We got the orange jumpsuit district. So if you come to do that here, you go to jail."
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.