Bloomington police arrest 16 men in ‘Creep’ sex solicitation sting

An undercover operation aimed at catching adults attempting to solicit minors for sex led to more than a dozen arrests earlier this month.

Bloomington police shared more details about “Operation Creep,” in which officers posed as 17-year-olds, during a press conference on Tuesday.

In total, 16 men were arrested for engaging with undercover officers whom they believed to be minors and trying to solicit them for sex.

The list of suspects arrested includes a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency employee and a civil employee of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to police. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to both agencies for comment and will update this story if any response is received.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges says victims in these cases are sometimes victims of human trafficking, which is why these operations are a priority for law enforcement.

Anyone who is a trafficking victim or knows someone who may be is encouraged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 for help.

Solicitation of a minor can carry a penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. However, none of the suspects had been criminally charged as of midday Tuesday.

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The post Bloomington police arrest 16 men in ‘Creep’ sex solicitation sting first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.