Charges: Mankato man, three others busted in Cottonwood Co. sex sting

(Windom, MN) – A Mankato man and three others have been charged after a sex trafficking operation in Cottonwood County last month.

Each charged with gross misdemeanor “Prostitution – Hires, Offers, or Agrees to Hire to Engage in Prostitution in Public” are 35-year-old Anthony Dean Pittenger of Mankato, Brandon Lawrence Jackson, 23, of Sioux Falls, Rod Curtis Peterson, 56, of Ankeny, Iowa, and Jason Fred Dauer, 43, of Albert Lea.

According to court documents, Windom police investigators placed an ad on a female escort site for a “Sexy sugar looking for a fun, loving good time.” The ad included photos of a female and included a phrase that specified “In-call only. 175/hr, 125/hr.”

Pittenger responded to the ad on April 25th, according to court documents. The complaint says he arranged for oral sex with two girls for $275. He later arrived at a prearranged Windom hotel with $280 cash, according to the complaint. Police say Pittenger later admitted he had driven to Windom for sex and said he’d done it before.

Court documents say Jackson also responded to the ad on April 25th. Arrangements were made for Jackson to bring lube for a $150 session, according to the complaint. Court documents say Jackson was arrested a short time later when he showed up at the Windom hotel with condoms, lube, and $160 in cash. Jackson admitted he was in Windom to see a woman for sex and was going to pay her for it.

Dauer arranged for a $175 sex session after responding to the ad on April 25th, according to court documents. Investigators say that he arranged the meeting at a Windom hotel later in the evening and was arrested with $175 in cash on his person when he arrived. Dauer told police in an interview that he went on the internet out of curiosity after he had a fight with his girlfriend. He said he had looked in the past but had never acted on it before, according to the complaint.

On April 23rd, investigators received messages for Peterson who negotiated a “donation” price of $150, according to the criminal complaint. On the 25th, he sent a text saying he had just left Slayton, and court documents say he later showed up at a Windom hotel with $150. Peterson admitted he had found the supposed girl on a website and had arranged for “full service,” according to the complaint.