St. PAUL, Minn. — Staff Sgt. Joshua Spearman grips the metal bench and eyes the crowd through his dark, wraparound sunglasses. He's a brawny soldier in a black T-shirt, his left arm covered in tattoos.
He's watching the endless stream of humanity flow past him at the Minnesota State Fair. Families with strollers, couples with just-won stuffed animals, elderly fair goers in motorized wheelchairs. Soon he eyes his prey: a cluster of young men. He tosses out his sales pitch.
