A week long investigation during the Sturgis Rally has led to several arrests for sex crimes.
Eight men are facing felony charges for attempting to solicit a minor over the internet. Local and state investigators worked together during the seven day investigation.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says the arrests send a message that South Dakota is not the place for predators seeking to solicit minors.
“There’s a strong deterrent value by having law enforcement out actively protecting children that really sends that message that South Dakota is off limits for those seeking to do harm to our children,” says Jackley.
Jackley says cases of children becoming victims of labor and sex trafficking are more limited. But he says in these cases, law enforcement depends on the public who are often the first to see something out of the ordinary.
“Seeing maybe a young child being treated differently or acting differently and it’s the public that often helps us protect those children,” says Jackley.
Jackley says in sex trafficking investigations, the first step is breaking into the network before individuals can be arrested.