Eau Claire man behind bars after police say he kidnapped woman
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU)- An Eau Claire man is behind bars after police say he kidnapped a woman with the intention of selling her for sex.
28-year old Nicholas Billiot faces five charges including kidnapping and false imprisonment. According to the criminal complaint, the 19-year old victim told investigators on Monday, Billiot forced her into a vehicle and took her to an Eau Claire hotel.
While there, Billiot told her he was going to arrange for several men to have sex with her for money. Billiot was taken into custody on Tuesday and appeared in court Thursday morning.
He is now being held at the Eau Claire County Jail. But this is a case that investigators say has become a larger issue in our area. Which is why local law enforcement has stepped up their efforts in finding these sex trafficking predators.
Sgt. Ben Frederick of the Eau Claire Police Dept. says, "We are also proactively contacting our area hotels and providing them with the tools where they can be aware of this type of criminal activity so they can control it."
Police officers say community involvement is one of the best ways to find out more about these crimes. They say if you do happen to see anything out of the ordinary, you are asked to call them immediately.