A 17-year-old human trafficking victim was rescued by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in California after texting 911, authorities said.
At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 9, the Sheriff’s Office received a text message in Spanish from a female victim asking for help. The message was translated from Spanish to English, and responding officers were told by the victim that he “didn’t know where he was,” according to a press release.
Police said the victim did not know his exact location, but was able to identify landmarks and other objects in his surroundings that could help the sheriff’s office contact him.
After some interaction, officers were dispatched and were able to locate the victim within 20 minutes, police said.
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Victim told police he was trafficked from Mexico
During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the victim was trafficked from Mexico to Ventura County, California, two months ago. According to the press release, the victim was also able to identify the suspect as Gerardo Cruz, a resident of Veracruz, Mexico.
“We don’t know the exact route she traveled, but we do know that she got here from Mexico illegally,” Detective Chris Dyer told the Ventura County Star, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Ta. “We’re still putting together how she got here. She came through a few different people, a few different places.”
After speaking with deputies, the victim was evaluated and transported to Ventura County Children and Family Services to help reunite her with her family.
Police said Cruz, 31, was located a short time later and arrested.
Suspect faces multiple charges
Detectives with the Major Crimes Bureau’s Sexual Assault Unit indicted Cruz on multiple charges. On Monday, May 13, Cruz was arraigned in Ventura Superior Court on the following charges:
- Human trafficking
- forced rape
- act obscenely towards a child
- lure
- sexual penetration by force
Mr. Cruz is currently in custody, with bail set at $500,000.
USA TODAY reached out to Detective Dyer for more information about the incident, but has not received a response.
Support for victims of human trafficking
If you know of someone who may be a victim of human trafficking or who you suspect is conducting human trafficking activities, please contact your local law enforcement agency or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. please call me. Callers can remain anonymous.
More information about human trafficking can be found at www.polarisproject.org..
Contributor: Dua Anjum, Ventura County Star.
Ahjane Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY’s National Trends team. Ajane covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy topics.Please email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter).
