Last defendant sentenced in southwest Nebraska sex trafficking case

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — An Arapahoe man was sentenced Monday for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old, bringing an end to a four-year sex trafficking case.

Furnas County Judge James E. Doyle sentenced Pual Douglas Brooks, 64, to 25 to 35 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office said it was the final sentencing in the case, in which 18 men were arrested.

“Today marks the final chapter in a tragic story of the exploitation and trafficking of a young victim in rural Nebraska,” Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in a press release. “We honor the victim for having the courage and strength to confront her abusers and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Over a six-month period in 2019, the 15-year-old girl was assaulted by “numerous men,” the AG’s office said.

The longest sentence in the case was given to William Quinn, who trafficked the child.

He was sentenced in December 2021 to 176½ to 304 years in prison.

Brooks was convicted in June after a four-day jury trial.

“We thank the law enforcement officers who worked hundreds of hours while bringing these men to justice,” Hilgers said. “Finally, we ask all Nebraskans to learn the signs of human trafficking and join us in ending this predatory conduct.”