Editor Charged With Human Trafficking

A sports editor in North Dakota has been charged with human trafficking.

Bobby Abplanalp, editor for The Dickinson Press, was one of two men arrested Wednesday, June 12, in Burleigh Country on human trafficking charges.

According to WDay.com, he attempted to pay for sex with another person, known to be under the age of 18.

He has been charged with the Class A felony of attempted human trafficking and may face up to 20 years in prison for the offence. He was arrested alongside another man, Aaron S. Collins, also charged with human trafficking.

Earlier this year it was reported that the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sporting events in the US, is actually the country’s largest venue for human trafficking. With immense crowds and a greater demand for sex workers, the event creates an opportunity for these crimes to go unnoticed by athorites.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott explained that despite being “the greatest show on Earth”, the Super Bowl actually has a seedy underbelly as victims are brought in to be used for sexual purposes by men at the event.

One victim, abducted by her captors and into forced prostitution at the age of 12, recalls being forced to have sex with 25 to 50 men a day during the Super Bowl.

Abplanalp’s bond has been set at $50,000 with the investigation ongoing.

The 29-year-old Logan, Utah native, studied journalism at the University of Wyoming, and began working at The Dickinson Press on May 7, 2013. Prior to taking on his role with the Forum Communications Co. owned paper, he was the sports editor of The Cortez Journal in Colarado.

We can only imagine the discomfort that came as The Dickinson Press had to include their own name in a human trafficking story.

Watch The Inquisitr for updates as this story unfolds.