DPS special agents rescued a 15-year-old sex trafficking victim and arrested her two traffickers in Harris County last week.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says special agents with the Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Division learned that the 15-year-old girl was being forced into prostitution, thanks to information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Through the investigation, special agents discovered advertisements featuring the girl. They then discovered one of her traffickers, 22-year-old Imani Cole of Spring, allegedly created the ad.
Last week investigators found the child, and a DPS trooper took her to a nearby hospital for an assessment and possible treatment. The girl was then released to Child Protective Services.
Cole was arrested on October 24 for trafficking of a child and compelling prostitution of a person under 18 years of age.
DPS says additional efforts led to the arrest of 28-year-old Raven Lovings of Houston for his alleged role in the girl's sex trafficking. He was arrested for trafficking of a child, compelling prostitution of a person under 18 years of age and sexual assault of a person over 14 years of age.
Both Cole and Lovings were taken to the Harris County Jail.
DPS says those wishing to receive help or report a tip regarding sex trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or send a text to BeFree (233733).
DPS Special Agents rescued a 15-year-old female #sextrafficking victim and arrested two of her traffickers in Harris County with help from @MissingKids. Do you know the signs of sex trafficking? Help us rescue another child https://t.co/4PEDjbnfRX pic.twitter.com/Lttseez1xe
— TxDPS - Southeast Texas Region (@TxDPSSoutheast) October 30, 2019
