Post by Scumhunter on Feb 17, 2016 15:46:58 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: delaware1059.com)
From The Baltimore Sun:
Howard County police have charged a Delaware woman with human trafficking of a juvenile, the department reported Wednesday, while also issuing an arrest warrant for her accomplice.
According to department spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn, Janice Figueroa, 19, was charged with multiple counts of human trafficking and prostitution. A former resident of New Jersey, officers said Figueroa operated out of Delaware with Nathaniel Lee Thompson, 28, who is wanted for similar charges.
"We will not tolerate human trafficking in Howard County," Police Chief Gary Gardner said in a statement. "The police department will continue to devote resources to arresting traffickers and doing all we can to help and protect victims."
As detectives continue monitoring the Backpage website, known for its use in prostitution, police said one particular ad was investigated, beginning with an undercover detective's appointment to meet a girl, 17, at a local hotel.
Llewellyn said the girl was dropped off at the hotel by a man and a woman in a Cadillac. While officers saw the Cadillac park at a restaurant nearby, the girl went into a hotel room with the undercover detective, agreeing to exchange sex for money.
After police identified themselves to the girl, officers went to the Cadillac and saw Figeroa lying down in the back seat, Llewellyn explained. Meanwhile, restaurant employees told police that Thompson had gone into the restaurant and escaped through a back door.
Through further investigation, detectives learned that Figueroa and Thompson brought the girl from Delaware to Maryland and Virginia for prostitution, taking a significant portion of the money she earned. Llewellyn said the girl was placed with Child Protective Services to be reunited with her family.
This latest investigation is part of the department's fight against prostitution and human trafficking, Llewellyn said. Focused on arresting traffickers and providing assistance to victims, the county has also established an account to fund victims' services, provide additional police training as well as add a second full-time detective to human trafficking cases.
Police said Figueroa is being held at the county jail on $1 million bond.
Anyone with information on Thompson's whereabouts, or any human trafficking in Howard County, can contact 410-313-STOP or HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-delware-woman-human-trafficking-0225-20160217-story.html
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