Park Rapids is a city of about 4,000 residents and is the county seat of Hubbard County, Minnesota. Prostitution and sex trafficking have occurred in the area, including some arrests of Park Rapids residents in sex trafficking stings in neighboring towns.

At least one sex buyer has been arrested in Park Rapids. In March 2023, a Park Rapids man was charged in Hubbard County Court with one felony count of prostitution/hiring or agreeing to hire a 16- to 17-year-old, one felony count of storing meth paraphernalia in the presence of a child or vulnerable adult, and one fifth-degree gross misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance. The man had been arrested in November 2022 after the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Park Rapids Police Department of a harassment complaint. A 17-year-old reported the man was soliciting nude photographs from her and offering to pay for them. She also reported that the man sent her a picture of his genitalia. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant and seized the man’s phone. He was arrested and his identity was released to the press. While searching his apartment, law enforcement found a glass smoking device commonly used for smoking methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia.