The report of a missing teen leads the Bellevue Police Department to uncover an alleged sex trafficking case at a motel. Organizations who deal in sex trafficking in the metro say it's a problem that is larger than many thought.
Kylie Ray and Branden Felt, both 19-years-old, have been arrested for sex trafficking a minor under 16 years old.
In late July, Bellevue officers were working a missing juvenile case when the realized a 15-year-old girl was exchanging money for sex at the Offutt Motor Court Motel.
Court documents say Ray rented the room, and Felt was setting up ads on backpage.com. The activity may have been going on for two months at various locations. The teen admitted to having sex with men.
Thursday, the Salvation Army and Nebraska Attorney General’s Office announced a $1.5 million grant to fight to end human trafficking.
They say a recent 7 month study indicates there could be 1,000-1,500 potential victims in the Omaha area and minors make up a good portion.
"The problem with that is that it tells us that's what the demand is looking for,” said Meghan Malik, the Trafficking Response Coordinator for Women’s Fund of Omaha.
The SAFE-T program gathers resources for victims of sex trafficking to keep them from falling back into the cycle through education, emotional support, counseling, employment, drug or alcohol treatment, housing, and basic needs.
"Obviously we're victim oriented so we want to help the victim survivor first that's really where we start, but if we don't stop the trafficker they are just going to reload and there's going to be another victim,” said Stephen Patrick O’Meara, the Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
If you believe you have been trafficked and would like to learn more about their services, call the National Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888 and request to speak with a SAFE-T staff member in Nebraska.
For more information on the SAFE-T program visit: http://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/western/SAFE-T
