Fugitive Accused Of Child Sex Trafficking Sought In Atlanta Area

ATLANTA — A federal manhunt is on in the Metro area for a Minnesota fugitive suspected of child sex trafficking, authorities said.

The FBI in Minneapolis said that Charles William Dexter III may be in the Atlanta area.

Police in Bloomington, Minn., arrested Dexter in August 2020, charging him on allegations that he recruited a 14-year-old girl there, coached her on how to talk to “johns” and coerced her to have sex for money, according to federal court records obtained by Patch. He would take half of the often $250 fee she was paid, whether she completed the half-hour appointments alone or with another woman, a federal indictment said.

The teen told investigators that Dexter raped her several times, once choking her until she was nearly unconscious, court records say.

Less than a week after he was arrested, authorities say Dexter bonded out of jail and was given an ankle monitor to track his whereabouts.

Two weeks later, federal authorities said he cut off the tracking device and fled, failing to appear for a Sept. 15, 2020 court appearance. Hennepin County, Minn., immediately put out a warrant for Dexter’s arrest.

In February, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota charged Dexter with federal child sex trafficking and issued a warrant for his arrest just over a year after he fled the state.

A reward for information leading to his arrest is being offered. Anyone with information about Dexter’s location is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to http://tips.fbi.gov @HSI_HQ @BPD_MN.

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