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A 30-year-old St. Paul man received the longest sentence ever imposed on anyone found guilty of sex-trafficking in Minnesota history. Otis Deno Washington was found guilty of first- and second-degree solicitation to practice prostitution (one involving a minor), two counts of promotion of prostitution, and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
A Chicago man was sentenced Friday to more than 26 years in prison for the sex trafficking of a teenage girl – which may be the longest sentence ever given in Minnesota for such a crime. According to the Ramsey County Attorney's office, Arteco Marvell Rhodes, 38, was found guilty on Nov. 1 on one count of engaging in sex trafficking in the first degree and possession of child pornography. Rhodes met the defendant, a 15-year-old girl, in Chicago in March, and asked her if she "wanted to make money and be part of the family." Within weeks, Rhodes drove the teen and a 19-year-old woman from Chicago to the Twin Cities in a conversion van.
For victims of sex trafficking in Minnesota, there are currently only two beds for shelter in the entire state. Now, a new shelter in St. Paul will change that.
Four family members have now been convicted for participating in a sex trafficking ring that last about two years, extended to multiple Minnesota communities and victimized many vulnerable women. On Wednesday, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office announced that 30-year-old Otis Deno Washington, of St. Paul, was found guilty in Ramsey County District Court on multiple sex trafficking counts. According to a press release, they are: two counts of promotion of prostitution; two counts of solicitation, one involving a minor; and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
A Ramsey County jury found a 27-year-old Brooklyn Park man guilty on Friday in connection with a human sex trafficking operation that involved numerous victims -- including women who were mentally slow or vulnerable -- across multiple Minnesota communities.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar has announced new legislation to combat sex trafficking. The announcement was made at the Breaking Free" breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Minneapolis. The breakfast was to benefit local sex trafficking victims.
A Ramsey County jury found a Chicago man guilty in the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl in St. Paul in April 2013. Arteco Marvell Rhodes, 38, was found guilty of possession of child pornography and he will be sentenced at 9 a.m. on Dec. 13.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office says in a release that a Logan County jury on Thursday convicted Preston Sanders, of St. Paul, Minn., of transporting a person under 18 knowing that person would be used for sex.
After five days of deliberation, a jury could not come to a unanimous decision in the case of a St. Paul sex trafficking ring that targeted vulnerable teenage girls, according to the Ramsey County Attorney. A trial date has now been set for early September, according to the attorney, in the case that prosecutes two brothers and their two uncles for sex trafficking at least 10 known victims.
A Twin Cities community is searching for solutions to a growing and disturbing problem - the sex trafficking of young girls. Faith leaders, law enforcement and survivors attended a community meeting in Oak Park Heights Saturday. Earlier this month, the FBI ranked Minnesota 13th in the nation for sex trafficking.
It's a story being written in the halls of schools across the Twin Cities -- girls as young as 12 are being recruited as sex workers. The FBI ranks Minnesota 13th in the nation for highest incidence of sex trafficking.
A Chicago man has been accused of prostituting a 15-year-old in the St. Paul area, and beating her so bad that he nearly killed her, too. According to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County, 38-year-old Arteco Marvell Rhodes was charged with one count of first-degree engaging in sex trafficking, one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of possession of child pornography.
A Duluth woman has been charged with aiding and abetting sex trafficking in the 1st –degree. According to the St. Louis County Attorney's office, 22-year-old Tabbatha Lee Olson solicited and promoted several juvenile females for prostitution in the Duluth area. Along with 32-year-old Markeace Arque Canty, Olson used internet advertising as a means to promote child prostitution in several cities throughout the Midwest.
A man who repeatedly refused to testify in a sex trafficking case involving alleged Somali gang members has been convicted by a federal jury of contempt and obstruction charges.
Two St. Paul brothers, their uncles and a woman are now facing charges of sex trafficking that spanned over the last couple years, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
A South Dakota man has been found guilty in a child sex trafficking case.
A media blitz is underway to draw attention to a need for housing to deal with the growing number of children caught up in sex trafficking.
A 34-year-old Minneapolis woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison in federal court Monday in connection with a case involving the sex trafficking of a minor.
On Wednesday, the Minneapolis City Council got their first report on the latest efforts to stop child sex trafficking in the city.
Law enforcement officials are working with Twin Cities hotels to put a stop to child sex trafficking.
A jury has convicted a 26-year-old man for sex trafficking and promotion of prostitution in Chicago and eventually Minneapolis, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
A Minneapolis man is charged with running a juvenile sex trafficking operation out of his home, while an Eagan man is charged with giving the operation business.
The Village Voice is being sold, along with all of its affiliated free arts weeklies, but the deal excludes the online classified site Backpage.com, whose listings have drawn fire for promoting the illegal sex trade.
A national movement is calling for advertisers to boycott City Pages in response to adult classifieds. The controversy is over the website Backpage.com, which, along with City Pages, is owned by Village Voice Media.
A growing number of children in Minnesota are becoming victims of sex traffickers.
Police in Columbia Heights are asking the public for assistance in finding a 16-year-old boy who hasn't been seen in months.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty wants to "remove unnecessary obstacles" that prevent youths from contributing to society.
About 1,600 policies for Pacific Palisades homeowners were dropped by State Farm in July, the state insurance office says.
Richard Elliot, 62, has not been seen since Wednesday morning.
The Cutest Dog Contest and live music performances will still take place.
Police in Columbia Heights are asking the public for assistance in finding a 16-year-old boy who hasn't been seen in months.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department said its SWAT team went to a home on the 6400 block of Zealand Avenue North around 5:30 a.m. to execute a "high-risk search warrant."
In the basement of the Minnesota History Center, you'll find corridors of giant blue cabinets that are guarded by lock and key.
Several Minnesotans living in Los Angeles are planning their next steps as evacuations continue.
The family of a man shot and killed by St. Paul police say they are being forced to relive a nightmare during a federal civil retrial.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday that they will cease targeted culling of deer in three permit areas due to levels of chronic wasting disease reaching endemic levels.
Hundreds of Canadian geese have been found dead this winter in Owatonna, Albert Lea, Waseca and other southern Minnesota cities.
Two people were found dead inside a vehicle early Wednesday morning on the east side of Rochester, showing "no obvious signs of trauma," police say.
An 80-year-old woman died Monday after suffering severe burns in a fire outside of an assisted living facility in northern Minnesota, police say.
The Moorhead Police Department says a teen who ran away from his residence in early December has been found safe.
Richard Elliot, 62, has not been seen since Wednesday morning.
It sounds almost too good to be true: locals are saving thousands and thousands on home updates — especially in western Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' plan to let voters repeal and create state laws without legislative involvement met opposition from the Republican leaders of the Legislature, who signaled that the idea is likely to be rejected for a second time.
The New Libson Police Department issued a statewide crime alert on Saturday for information regarding a suspect they believe is involved with a triple homicide that took place on Monday.
Wisconsin police investigating the deaths of three people, including two juveniles, were searching Tuesday for a person of interest who is "considered armed and dangerous."
A local business, started during the pandemic, will soon celebrate two years at a physical location.
Emily Roth is the president of the Minnesota Children of the American Revolution and chose to help homeless veterans as her state project.
After her son was diagnosed with ALS, Faith thrust herself into research and organizations supporting the cure for ALS. She started getting involved with Everything ALS.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Svetlana Vold immediately thought of her mom's teachings and looked to give back to her old Ukrainian neighbors who were suffering.
Volunteers at St. Paul's Union Gospel Mission served up hundreds of Christmas Day meals during a free lunch on Wednesday.
Jimmy Carter was honored with a state funeral on Thursday in Washington. The 39th president is being remembered not only for his service in office but also for his extraordinary service to the world after leaving office.
Former president Jimmy Carter's vice president, Walter Mondale, died in 2021 but left behind a eulogy that his son Ted read at Carter's memorial service Thursday morning.
Visitors have been streaming into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for days to say their final goodbyes to the nation's 39th president.
Marisa Simonetti, a former candidate for Hennepin County Commissioner accused of throwing a live tarantula at one of her renters, is set to appear in court on Thursday.
President Biden honored Jimmy Carter in a eulogy at his funeral.
The state's 55% year-over-year rise in car insurance rates goes beyond inflation.
It sounds almost too good to be true: locals are saving thousands and thousands on home updates — especially in western Wisconsin.
The head of Canada's most populous province is taking shots at President-elect Donald Trump over his comments on annexing the country, joking that Canada should purchase Minnesota and Alaska in retaliation.
Xcel Energy says the interim increase of 5.2% will add about $5.39 to an average residential customer's monthly bill.
The new year is off to a lucky start for two Minnesota lottery players.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty wants to "remove unnecessary obstacles" that prevent youths from contributing to society.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department said its SWAT team went to a home on the 6400 block of Zealand Avenue North around 5:30 a.m. to execute a "high-risk search warrant."
The family of a man shot and killed by St. Paul police say they are being forced to relive a nightmare during a federal civil retrial.
A Minneapolis woman is facing one count of felony theft for stealing more than $1,000 worth of food from a rewards program at a restaurant in South St. Paul with customer credit cards, charges say.
A St. Cloud woman was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison for her role in distributing drugs from Mexico to the upper Midwest.
An important deadline is fast approaching for the more than 35,000 workers who care for some of Minnesota's most vulnerable residents.
A Hollywood A-lister has come to the help of an immigrant living in Minnesota as he fights a serious illness.
Lower immunity to the new GII.17 strain could be leading to more infections.
Norovirus numbers in Minnesota remain "higher than usual" and likely will for some time, state health officials said Tuesday.
Nancy Gibson, co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, called the virus a "time bomb," and said no one knows the true extent of the disease which poses a threat to wildlife and humans.
A Hollywood A-lister has come to the help of an immigrant living in Minnesota as he fights a serious illness.
Peter Yarrow was a singer-songwriter and a social activist, but he was best known as one-third of the folk-music group Peter, Paul and Mary.
If you missed the 2025 Golden Globes, here's everything to know about how and where to watch the show.
The iconic ruby slippers sold for a total of $32.5 million at auction last month. The slippers were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids.
Wayne Osmond started his musical career as an original member of The Osmonds with his brothers.
Taylor Heise scored her second goal of the season 3:20 into overtime to give the Minnesota Frost a 2-1 victory over the Boston Fleet.
A new bill to set up a regulatory structure for legalization is a sure bet, but its fate is unclear. The issue has had both bipartisan support and opposition for years.
It's hard to quantify growth, but it's worth a try for a University of St. Thomas basketball team that entered Division 1 in 2021.
The Minnesota Vikings organization is showing support to Los Angeles Rams fans as wildfires rage in the Los Angeles area.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been named by the NFL Players Association's All-Pro team, just another honor in a career filled with such tributes.
In Talking Points, Esme Murphy sits down with the son of Jimmy Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale.
Esme Murphy talks with Congressman Pete Stauber, who hopes to see President Biden’s 20-year moratorium on new mining near the Boundary Waters reversed by President-elect Donald Trump.
President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to reverse President Biden's 20-year moratorium on new mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on his first day in office.
In this election, Klobuchar faired much better than all other Senate Democrats — she won by a significantly larger margin.
For Democrats the postmortem continues on why Vice President Kamala Harris and her Running mate Governor Tim Walz performed more poorly with almost every demographic than Joe Biden did in 2020. In Minnesota, Senator Amy Klobuchar did much better than Harris with some of those same groups.
In the basement of the Minnesota History Center, you'll find corridors of giant blue cabinets that are guarded by lock and key.
The story behind the St. James Hotel is simple: 11 business owners needed a place for people to stay when they came to town. Likely none of them envisioned their establishment would one day end up on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the first week of December, Little Falls holds Christmas tours around town. It's a chance for historic buildings to deck their halls and spread their cheer.
Duluth is known for its scenic views across the city, but one location stands out from the rest.
One family's creative design in central Minnesota allows guests to sleep under the stars — at any time of year.
Celebration turned into frightening chaos on New Year's Day when a driver barreled down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people. Two days later, the FBI released a bulletin warning of copycat attacks.
Here's an explanation of why people may hear creaks and trembles in their homes during cold months.
More Americans are drinking less milk, but eating more cheese. So what does that all mean?
Celebrating New Year's Eve comes with many long-time traditions. They include what we drink, what we watch and what we do with someone else at midnight.
There are a lot of reasons to get distracted this time of year and to procrastinate.
Six Minnesota Vikings made the initial roster for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, the most in 15 years.
Regions Hospital and Children's Minnesota share photos of their tiniest patients dressed to the nines for Halloween.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Thursday night due to the arrival of a severe geomagnetic storm.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Monday night.
Storms ripped through parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday evening. There were several reports of tornadoes and trees were downed in the metro and beyond, including in Cottage Grove, Anoka, Champlin and Fridley.
Light snow is headed for the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a bigger storm system and frigid temps to follow, says NEXT Weather Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
Light snow is coming to the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a weekend clipper bringing accumulating snow and an arctic chill early next week, says Meteorologist Joseph Dames.
Light snow is coming to the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a weekend clipper bringing accumulating snow and an arctic chill early next week.
Light snow is coming to the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a weekend clipper bringing accumulating snow and an arctic chill early next week, says Meteorologist Joseph Dames.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty wants to "remove unnecessary obstacles" that prevent youths from contributing to society.
Thousands have left their homes and more than 17,000 acres have burned in the L.A. wildfires, plus more of the day’s top stories.
The Brooklyn Park Police Department says investigators believe the subject of a high-risk search warrant on Thursday may have had castor beans — a plant containing the poison ricin — necessitating federal and state authorities to get involved.
Five people are dead, thousands have left their homes and 17,000 acres have burned as of Thursday in and around Los Angeles.
Light snow is headed for the Twin Cities on Thursday, with a bigger storm system and frigid temps to follow, says NEXT Weather Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso.