by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A Sauk Rapids man was sentenced last week to 324 months in prison for sex trafficking two women in various places such as houses, apartments or hotels in Stearns and Benton counties.
Israel Davis, 41, was convicted of 10 counts of sex trafficking and related charges on Jan. 20 after a court trial. Last week, Judge Frederick Grunke handed down the prison sentence.
On the complaint form, Davis’s address was listed as 213 Second St. N., Sauk Rapids. The complaint also notes for months at a time he was living in a St. Cloud apartment with one of the women he was hiring out as a prostitute.
“We are pleased at the sentence pronounced by the court today and commend the bravery of the women who testified at trial,” said Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall. “We are committed to working with law enforcement to aggressively prosecute those who prey upon the vulnerable in our community for financial gain and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Davis recruited a woman identified only as “BNR” in January 2014 and convinced her to engage in numerous acts of prostitution during a six-month period. He allegedly assaulted her on at least one occasion and regularly provided her with amphetamines while taking most of the money she made from the sexual acts.
Davis also recruited a woman identified as “JJR” in March 2014 to work as a prostitute on his behalf.
Contacts for the prostitution were made via a website.
The case was the result of an investigation by the Central Minnesota Sex Trafficking Task Force, the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force, the Waite Park Police Department, the Sartell Police Department and the St. Cloud Police Department.
Shan Wang, assistant chief of the Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.
Israel Davis
