Bailiff walks 1,065 miles to highlight human trafficking

The first 1,065 miles of Roger DeHart’s journey are behind him.

The road ahead is where it gets challenging.

DeHart, a bailiff at the Broward courthouse for 15 years, started walking from the front steps of his workplace on March 31, along U.S. 1 through five southern states. He reached the U.S. Capitol on May 19, greeted on a dreary, rainy afternoon by family members and a group of supporters.

“It’s over,” said DeHard, 47, a father of two. “The walking part is done. The mission, that’s just getting started.”

The “No More Miles” walk was intended to raise awareness about human trafficking, an issue that has burdened DeHart for more than a decade. He set up a website, www.firststops.org, to promote the nonprofit organization he’s in the process of forming, and began accepting donations. The mission of First S.T.O.P. — the acronym stands for Saving Teens and Others from Predators — is to fund, promote and develop educational and counseling programs for survivors of human trafficking.

He had hoped to raise $10,000 during his walk.

DeHart traveled by foot from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville, Savannah in Georgia to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Raleigh in North Carolina to Fairfax, Virginia.

The donations trickled in. By the time the walk ended, he’d raised close to $7,000.

“It’s been totally worth it,” he said. “I’ve met so many people along the way who have heard about what I’m doing and why. Law enforcement, paramedics,

DeHart