2 Las Vegans charged with sex trafficking of runaway California teen
A teenager who was being transported to Las Vegas by two people believed to be sex traffickers was rescued by an Arizona state trooper, authorities said Thursday.
The state Department of Public Safety said the trooper became suspicious during a routine traffic stop on U.S. Highway 93 north of Kingman on Jan. 11 after detecting signs of sex trafficking from a 16-year-old female in the vehicle.
Further investigation determined that the teen was a runaway from California who had been “trafficked” in Arizona by the adult male and adult female in the vehicle with her and was being taken to Las Vegas with the same intent, the DPS said.
“Our trooper rescued a juvenile victim from continued exploitation and abuse,” Assistant DPS Director Ken Hunter said in a news release.
DPS did not identify the suspects who were booked into jail on charges of sex trafficking of a minor, custodial interference and theft of means of transportation. But the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office identified the subjects booked into jail on those charges by DPS on Jan. 11 as Las Vegas residents Rasheen Lamonte Adams and Chica Nakita Harris, both 22.
The suspects were released on Jan. 14 after posting $10,000 bond.