35 men arrested in Wisconsin in human trafficking sting

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Authorities arrested 35 men in Brown County as part of an effort across the country late last month to crack down on human trafficking.

The National Johns Suppression Initiative involved 37 law enforcement agencies in 17 states, including Wisconsin.

Arrests were made in the Green Bay, De Pere and Ashwaubenon areas. Nationally, there were more than 1,000 arrests.

Middle-aged, college-educated white men are the average sex buyers in Brown County, according to the sheriff’s office.

“However, we do see the gamut of everything. We saw a 20-year-old that was about to get married and then we saw a 64-year-old — I believe he was 64, 65 — never been married,” Sgt. Matt Wilson told WLUK-TV. “About 99.9 percent of the stuff that we do is on the internet. Whether it be Backpage, Craigslist, escort internet websties that we use, that’s pretty much where I do most of my work.”