Lincoln Police say they have identified a number of women being trafficked in the Capital City.
Authorities say on February 7th, investigators were conducting a human trafficking detail and following up on a Crime Stoppers tip and responded to an online advertisement for sexual favors. Around 9:00 that night, the investigators went to the agreed upon location and a female passenger exited a vehicle to meet. The driver of that vehicle was identified as 40 year old Hersel Bradley and upon further investigation, Bradley was arrested for Pandering.
After analyzing electronic evidence, interviewing victims and witnesses, subsequent citations were issued to two more men. On February 14th, 58 year old Kurt Mortensen was arrested for Pandering and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Then on February 15th, 46 year old Jason Albers was cited for Soliciting a Prostitute.
Lincoln Police says thanks to the proactive efforts of investigators, they were able to identify numerous women believed to be victims of human trafficking and addressed an under-reported crime in Lincoln. Authorities say they are continuing to search for and identify the victims associated with this group of traffickers. They say their focus is to provide hope to those whose lives have been controlled by sex traffickers, work with community advocates to ensure they have a safe pathway forward and disrupt criminal enterprise that profits from the abuse of vulnerable members of Lincoln.
Investigators encourage anyone with additional information to contact Lincoln Crime Stoppers at (402) 475-3600 or Lincoln Police at (402) 441-6000.
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