UPDATE: ADA reacts to first sentencing under new sex trafficking law

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man will spend at least 11 years in prison after admitting to sex trafficking, the District Attorney’s Office says. It’s the first sentence handed down for such crimes under a law that went into effect last year.

Drequan Dugar, 20, pleaded guilty yesterday to human trafficking of a minor and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Judge Doug Parsons sentenced Dugar to serve two consecutive sentences of 77-154 months and 60-132 months. That means he will spend at least 11.4 years behind bars. After he is released from prison, Dugar, a validated gang member, must register as a sex offender for a minimum of 30 years.

Dugar’s conviction is the first of its kind since the Safe Harbor Act for Victims of Sex Trafficking took effect in October 2013. The law stiffened the penalties for traffickers, pimps and johns in North Carolina.

The Assistant District Attorney, Lindsey Roberson, said, “The victim in this case was fifteen years old. And we don’t want to see a fifteen year old charged as a criminal. We want to recognize the fact that at fifteen years old there’s a reason that you can’t drive a car.” She said. “There’s a reason that you can’t consent to sex. And there’s a reason therefore that you can’t consent to commercial sex. So when someone of that age is being sold for sex for profit, we want to make sure that we see them as a victim.”

Roberson went on to say that through the implementation of this new law she hopes that there will be more advocacy for the victims of human trafficking and that more people will speak up on behalf of the victims.

Prosecutors say the 15-year old victim was originally located when her mother called the hotline run by A Safe Place, a local outreach center for victims of human trafficking. Caseworkers were able to locate the victim on a website commonly known for prostitution. They immediately called law enforcement, which responded to the hotel where the victim was being held and arrested Dugar. The victim received services from A Safe Place and other non-profits in North Carolina.