A local grocery store was the scene of a human trafficking bust in Charlotte this week.
It happened at Food Lion on Beatties Ford Road. Gerald Johnson, 59, was arrested for human trafficking and promoting prostitution in front of the store.
Some of the human trafficking victims told officers they'd been threatened by the 300-pound alleged pimp.
"I'm really surprised it happened here at the grocery store," said David, a shopper.
At the same time and place where families come to pick up their groceries...
"You see a lot of families a lot of people mingling around," David said.
Others were coming to a Charlotte grocery store parking lot Tuesday morning to pick up prostitutes.
"I just think it's a big outrage you know," said shopper Moree.
Johnson's arrest was part of a larger, undercover sting by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
"It's not uncommon to have illegal things going on over here," Moree said.
"We should do more in our community to stop things like that from happening."
In North Carolina, human trafficking is a quiet crime lurking in every corner of the community.
"North Carolina is one of the top ten states in human trafficking."
Last year, the FBI reported 854 calls about human trafficking and opened 221 cases. Local organizations like Lily Pad Haven work to give these women a way out.
"It's happening in our own backyards and there's no location that is immune from it," said Carla who operates a home for human trafficking survivors.