A man accused of forcing women into prostitution in the western North Dakota oil patch is to go on trial early next year.
Court documents indicate that the trial for 38-year-old Keith Graves is scheduled to begin Jan. 12 and last for five days.
Graves is accused of running a prostitution ring out of Williston-area hotels, and raping a woman he was recruiting and forcing her to take drugs. He has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges related to human trafficking. He could face life in prison without parole if convicted on the more serious charges.
Graves was one of the main subjects of "the overnighters,'' an award-winning documentary that follows a Lutheran pastor who opened up his Williston church and parking lot to oil workers with nowhere to stay.