Woman accused of sex trafficking Las Vegas runaway
A 20-year-old woman was arrested this week after police said she forced a runaway Las Vegas girl into prostitution.
Aundria Bateman has been charged with sex trafficking a child under 16, child abuse or neglect, and living from the earning of a prostitute, according to court records.
The victim, who was about 14, was brought to Summerlin Hospital on Sept. 18, 2021 due to being under the influence of narcotics, police said, and hospital staff suspected that the girl had been the victim of trafficking. She was unconscious and wearing very little clothing.
Police interviewed the victim a few days later and she told them she frequently runs away from home and after doing so in early in 2020, she met Bateman, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest warrant.
She met Bateman through a mutual friend at an apartment complex near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Washington Avenue, the warrant stated. The victim told police she lived at the apartment with Bateman and that they did drugs together.
She described three instances when Bateman had her work as a prostitute with the same male client. The first time, Bateman and the victim split the money she made and the next two times Bateman kept all the money, according to the warrant.
Police confirmed Bateman’s identity via the victim and Bateman’s Instagram account. Bateman also was found to have posted an advertisement on a prostitution website, police said.
Bateman remained in custody as of late Thursday. She is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 7 for a bail hearing, according to court records.
Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.
