Sheriff vows to protect children
Sex trafficking case began in county
The teenage Tulare County girl at the center of the sex trafficking case officials announced arrests in Thursday had been used by the suspects even before she ran away from home.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, who vows strongly to protect the children of Tulare County, said the young girl, who is still a minor, had hooked up with the man suspected of human trafficking and selling young girls for sex acts, a while before she ran away from home about a year ago.
In fact, the sheriff said none of the victims had been kidnapped and all went voluntarily at first. It was the young girl’s parents contacting Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies which led to her being rescued and the arrest this week of two suspects. A third suspect, a female not charged with trafficking or prostitution, is still being sought. That suspect is believed to have arranged the renting of houses and high-dollar vehicles using fake or stolen identification.
This is the third high-profile sex trafficking case in Tulare County with young, teenage girls, being victims. The sheriff does not feel Tulare County has any bigger problem than other areas.
“I don’t think it’s unique. It’s just we are focusing on it,” he said Friday.
The latest case announced Thursday involved nine women from Tulare County, seven under the age of 18. Six other young women, again most under the age of 18, have also been identified as being trafficked for sex by suspects Quinton Brown, 30, and Gerald Lavell Turner, 32. The third suspect, still at
large, is Mia Mcneil, 32.
Brown and Turner are in custody in the Tulare County Jail and while the case will be prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s office, it will be tried in Tulare County.
Boudreaux said his department’s effort to educate young people and their parents about the dangers of the internet paid off. He said the parents became suspicious and felt “comfortable
enough” to contact deputies.
Each victim, Boudreaux said, was lured over the internet and then trapped into the acts of prostitution.
“They almost become brainwashed and talked into doing things they wold not normally do,” said the sheriff. When they located the Tulare County girl, they also rescued a Los Angeles area girl.
“The parents were
suspicious based on our public information,” he said. The girl was rescued about seven months ago.
Boudreaux, who has changed the name of his unit which investigates crimes again young people to Crimes Against Children, said his department is keenly focused on such crimes and how to identify them early.
“We are asking surgical questions and finding
out more,” he said of what they ask parents and children.
Boudreaux, who said there are more cases out there, said he will be vigilant in protecting children.
“We’re going to be relentless. If you’re going to screw around with girls in Tulare County, we’re coming after you,” he vowed.
With Operation Baby Face and then Baby Face 2, now this case,
the sheriff’s department has rescued more than 70 women who have also received counseling. He said the young girl at the center of this latest case is getting her life back on track.
After Baby Face 2, the sheriff launched an aggressive campaign to educate parents and teenagers about the dangers of the internet and predators. Several billboards were placed around the county.