While Eve Tao worked her shift at the Comfort Inn and Suites front desk in Vadnais Heights, a young woman passed her a note.
The note said, “I am not from here. He is my boyfriend. He’s sex trafficking me.” Tao recalled that the note also said the woman didn’t have her phone, wallet or ID.
“I thought she was just throwing trash on the counter, but then I looked down and saw it was a piece of paper, so why not just open it up?” Tao said. “So I opened it up and read the note, and that’s when I kind of freaked out and thought I should call law enforcement.”
And that’s what she did. Law enforcement arrived while the couple was at the Walmart across the highway. When they came back, Larry Konah, 27, was arrested.
“The young woman was interviewed, as was Mr. Konah, and a complaint was filed by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and ultimately, Mr. Konah pled guilty to one of three charges and has been sentenced to 41 months in prison,” said Bill Klumpp, past president of the Arden Hills-Shoreview Rotary Club.
Klumpp noted that Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action.
“I think that’s the important thing, taking action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves, and we’re here to honor Eve because she took action to help our local community,” Klumpp said. “The Rotary motto is service above self. And today we’re going to honor Eve because she put service above self but, most importantly, took action to help a woman who was being sex trafficked, which is really a modern form of slavery.”
The organization honored Tao by naming her a Paul Harris Fellow — one of the highest honors at Rotary International. The local club donated $1,000 in Tao’s name to The Rotary Foundation, which will go to accomplish even more good in the world. According to Rotary’s website, “… The Rotary Foundation (is), Rotary’s own charity and, therefore, every Rotarian’s own charity.”
“I have a lot of emotions right now,” Tao said after being recognized. “I’m excited and a little nervous.”
Klumpp said law enforcement personnel can’t solve crimes all by themselves, and prosecutors can’t convict criminals by just calling police officers as witnesses.
“I spent about 40 years of my career doing criminal prosecution, both in Michigan and Minnesota, so it’s important that we have people like Eve Tao who are willing to come forward and contact the police and be willing to be witnesses,” Klumpp said. “Some people are simply afraid, and others just don’t want to get involved. Eve Tao is neither of those. Eve took action by notifying the police and cooperating with the investigators.”