OMAHA, Neb. -- The man who ran the charity group Teens of Tomorrow faces trials in three Nebraska counties on charges of exploiting teenagers to sell products door to door.

The three trials do not include the criminal charge that dropped against Quenton Pfitzer Wednesday when a 15-year-old witness failed to appear in court.

Children associated with Teens of Tomorrow have peddled candy in Omaha and Lincoln for years, saying they’re trying to raise money for worthy causes.

Omaha City Prosecutor Marty Conboy said the peddlers are often underage children being exploited. “The law now specifically prohibits children under the age of 16 from selling door to door under any circumstances,” he said.

But Conboy said trying to prosecute these cases is proving to be difficult.

Pfitzer was supposed to go on trial Wednesday in Douglas County court on two charges of violating child labor laws. One charge was dropped because the six-month limit for a speedy trial had expired and because a key witness didn’t show up.

Conboy hopes for better luck with the charge that’s still pending.

“Because they're children, they need the cooperation of their parents,” he said. “We've talked to the parents, tried to convince them to let their child cooperate. Some are afraid of having their kids come to court, unclear whether the child might be in trouble or done something wrong.”

Conboy said it’s not the child who has done something wrong – it’s the man who hired the child.

Neither Pfitzer nor his attorney had any comment Wednesday, citing pending cases in Sarpy and Douglas counties.

KETV NewsWatch 7 has learned he also faces a criminal charge in Lancaster County. All three of those cases are scheduled to go to trial the same week.