Multiple arrests made in connection to human trafficking, kidnapping investigation in Gulfport
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- Gulfport police say multiple arrests have been made in a wide-ranging human trafficking and kidnapping investigation involving a runaway juvenile.
Six people are now facing charges including human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and forcible rape:
- 40-year-old Michael Eric Moses was charged with one count of Kidnapping. Bond: $250,000
- 49-year-old Bobby Terrell Mills was charged with one count of Human Trafficking, one count of Kidnapping, one count of Extortion, and one count of Forcible Rape. Bond: $1,600,000
- 60-year-old Richard Sherrol Weir was charged with one count of Human Trafficking. Bond: $250,000
- 35-year-old Marcus Alan Mann was charged with one count of Human Trafficking and one count of Kidnapping. Bond: $750,000
- 41-year-old Jeffrey Devon Pruitt was charged with one count of Human Trafficking. Bond: $250,000
- 27-year-old Latasha Ann Smith was charged with one count of Human Trafficking. Bond: $250,000
Police say the case began after Child Protective Services reported concerns about the juvenile earlier this year.
On January 22, officers safely located the child and determined she had been held inside a hotel room against her legal guardian’s will.
The Victim was apparently forced to perform sexual acts between December and January with threats made to report her as a runaway if she refused.
As the investigation expanded, detectives identified several suspects accused of attempting to sell the juvenile across the Gulf Coast and into New Orleans.
