Ravenna is a city in Buffalo County, in the south-central region of Nebraska. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, and its population is about 1,000 residents. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well documented problems in the city and throughout the county, and among the ways in which these crimes have been addressed is arresting and disclosing the identities of sex buyers. For example, in November 2020, an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant was filed, naming a Ravenna man for the charges of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Solicitation of Prostitution. The affidavit was sealed, but the complaint against the man alleged that on or between August 1, 2020 and September 1, 2020, the suspect unlawfully contributed to the delinquency of a minor and did solicit another person to perform any act of sexual conduct or sexual penetration in exchange for money or other thing of value. Both charges are Class 1 Misdemeanors. The man was taken into custody and housed in the Buffalo County Jail pending his first court appearance and/or bond hearing. Police scanner traffic indicated that he had turned himself in to the Buffalo County Jail on the warrant. The alleged victim in the case was fifteen-years-old at the time of the crime.

In January 2022, a man was convicted of felony sexual assault and visual depiction of child pornography (i.e., child sexual abuse material) in Ravenna. He pleaded no contest in Buffalo County District Court to felony first-degree sexual assault of a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, and “visual depiction of child pornography” of a victim older than 19 in May. In exchange for his pleas the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office dismissed charges of solicitation of prostitution-first offense, 22 counts of felony visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. A no contest plea is neither an admission nor denial of guilt, but the plea is treated the same as a guilty plea. Judge John Marsh accepted the man’s plea and found him guilty, and ordered the Nebraska Probation Office to do a pre-sentence investigation to assist in determining a sentence. Court records detailing the case were sealed. The man was arrested in May 2021 and remained at the Buffalo County Jail on a $200,000 bond through January 2022. He faced one to 50 years in prison on each count.