BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–A Goose Creek man has been arrested in Montgomery, Alabama and charged with two counts of first degree human trafficking.
The arrest of 27-year-old Theon Dontray Smith makes the first human trafficking case that the Montgomery Police Department has investigated since the state law was passed in 2010.
MPD Chief of Staff Bryan Jurkofsky told WSFA-TV that the department received a call from out-of-state parents, which is what triggered the investigation.
“They received contact from their daughter, who said she was in Montgomery and asked for a welfare check,” Jurkofsky said. “Patrol units responded and identified two minor females and one adult male.”
The alleged victims along with Smith were found in a hotel room. Jurkofsky said evidence in the room suggested the girls were being sexually exploited.
“The minute we identified it as human trafficking, we reached out to our federal and state partners. It’s seamless because of the training that’s been afforded us through the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the partnerships and interactions we have with them on a daily basis,” Jurkofsky told the TV station.
The police chief could not confirm if the victims were runaways, or how they were taken into human trafficking, but explained human traffickers prey on those who are abandoned by their families or run away from home.
To read more about this case, click here.
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