Decatur man sentenced to 12 years in IDOC in human trafficking case

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A Decatur man who was arrested for human trafficking in December 2025 was sentenced to 12 years in prison Thursday.

36-year-old Bryan Slater was one of two men arrested after a Coles County Sheriff's Office investigation.

Illinois State Police said that during an investigation by the sheriff's office in October 2025, a woman was identified as a possible human trafficking victim following a reported theft.

The ISP's Illinois Trafficking Enforcement Group (ITEG) eventually learned that the woman had been abused and sexually assaulted by two men, later identified as Slater and 31-year-old Jacob Miller, both of Decatur.

Slater initially pleaded not guilty in January, but changed his plea to guilty on an amended count of involuntary servitude earlier this month.

According to court records, Slater was sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by one year of mandatory supervised release. The sentence will be served at 50%. He will receive credit for time previously served from December 17, 2025 to July 22, 2026.

Miller is due back in court for a disposition hearing on July 27.