Osage Beach man convicted as part of Missouri’s sex trafficking investigation

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced that an Osage Beach man has been sentenced as a part of the state’s ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.

According to a news release from the office of the attorney general, Dustin R. Thomas, 23, was sentenced to 14 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Court records show Thomas was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree statutory rape, two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, and two counts of fourth-degree child molestation.

Thomas was charged in 2017 for the crimes against two 15-year-olds.

In the news release, Hawley said, “There is no place for sex trafficking in Missouri. Those who take advantage of vulnerable citizens will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”