By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD — The Marshfield Police Department was one of 20 law enforcement agencies participating in a statewide sting operation to arrest more than two dozen sex traffickers, child abusers, and people who solicited prostitutes this summer.

On Sept. 14 State Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the arrests as part of the launch of his new Bureau of Human Trafficking. Twenty-five individuals were apprehended in July and August in a sting operation targeting those seeking children for sexual purposes in northern, central, and eastern Wisconsin. Some of those arrested were knowingly seeking 14- and 15-year-olds for sexual reasons.

Charges include soliciting a prostitute or child for prostitution, pandering, attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child, child enticement, using a computer to facilitate a sex crime, and exposing a child to harmful materials.

Other agencies involved included the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office; sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices from Door, Dane, Rock, Sheboygan, and Vilas Counties; police departments in Madison, Monona, McFarland, Kohler, Cottage Grove, and Eagle River; the United States Marshals; and the Wisconsin State Patrol.