SEATTLE — Two people arrested during an investigation into human trafficking were charged Tuesday, July 25.
Terrique Devon Milam, 19, was charged with two counts of second-degree promotion of prostitution and unlawful possession of a firearm.
A 17-year-old was charged with first-degree promotion of prostitution, second-degree kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second-degree. KING 5 is not naming the suspect because he is currently being charged as a juvenile.
The two were arrested Thursday, July 20, by the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
In an SPD blotter post, an officer writes that Milam and the 17-year-old were arrested after a report of an 18-year-old woman being held captive in the Mount Baker neighborhood.
Police said a father said his daughter had traveled to Seattle for MLB All-Star Week earlier this month but became less and less communicative after she arrived.
Around 9 p.m. on July 20, officers received a 911 call from the father who reported that his daughter was being held against her will in the 2500 block of 29th Avenue South. Shortly before the father called 911, he told police that his daughter had told him she could not leave, shared her location and abruptly hung up the call.
Officers responded to the location, found the victim and took the two teens into custody.
The victim told police she met a woman in her home state of Texas who told her she could make a lot of money dancing at Seattle clubs during All-Star week.
In documents, police said while in Seattle she became a victim of human trafficking and was passed between several pimps in the area.
Court documents detail a span of two weeks where she was taken to and from Aurora Avenue and various hotels to engage in acts of prostitution.
She was threatened and the two men took the money she earned.
After interviewing the victim, a search warrant was served on the room and vehicle of the suspects. A firearm and a large quantity of fentanyl pills were recovered by police, and it was discovered that both were legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
SPD said it had probable cause to arrest the suspects on investigation of promotion of prostitution and unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
Milam was booked into King County Jail, while the 17-year-old was sent to the King County Child and Family Justice Center.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said they can prove the suspects committed promoting prostitution beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors said human trafficking cases have a higher threshold and more elements to prove.
When it comes to promoting prostitution prosecutors have to prove a suspect profits or advances prostitution by threatening or forcing a victim.
“Even in cases like this one where we charged with promoting prostitution rather than trafficking, it doesn't mean the case is any less serious. It's still a felony crime,” said Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Data from KCPAO show the number of human trafficking, promoting prostitution, or commercial sex abuse of minor cases that have been filed. In 2021, 49 cases were filed, in 2022 38 cases were filed. Twenty-three of those cases have been filed so far this year.
“It’s certainly a crime we’re seeing consistently and in many parts of King County," McNerthney said. "I think all people have to do is go up and down Aurora and see many vulnerable people being trafficked. These cases are very difficult to prove and sometimes difficult to file but there are investigators who are working around the clock."
Homeland Security said during the MLB All-Star period, the agency partnered with King County Sheriff’s Office, Bellevue PD, and others in the Seattle area to conduct multiple proactive human trafficking operations which resulted in 11 arrests.
A local nonprofit, the Genesis Project Seattle, is currently looking for more volunteers to help them fulfill their mission of recovering the people affected by situations like this. Their founder said this can sometimes be the dark side of large sporting events.
"Large groups of people that come together, predominantly, this is the base, this is the supply and demand that feeds prostitution, that feeds trafficking so when you have this amount of men, they're gonna gravitate toward that," said Andy Conner, founder and president of the Genesis Project Seattle. "It's a business for them, they're gonna make a lot of money because they're gonna have a lot of customers."
FBI Seattle has a dedicated team comprised of investigators, special agents, victim specialists, and more who work to combat human trafficking and child exploitation in the area. Steven Vienneau is the supervisory Special Agent who leads that team.
Regarding the issue of human trafficking, Vienneau told King 5, "It's big year-round."
He added, "There likely is some movement as a result of these special events."
He said they are continuing their ongoing efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
"We're targeting predators of various kinds, predators who would seek to monetize the abuse of people," said Vienneau.
Another organization called Friends of Youth said they would like to take this opportunity to remind people of their Safe Place program. They said survivors can seek help from coordinators within the community who conduct outreach at local parks, schools, teen centers, local businesses, as well as in nonprofit organizations, and all King County libraries. They said they have 2,100 sites in total.
According to Sara Clinton, the King County Safe Place program coordinator with Friends of Youth, there are three ways survivors can reach Safe Place: first, by calling the Safe Place hotline at 1 (800) 422-TEEN (8336), secondly, by texting SAFE and current location to 4HELP (44357), and lastly, by approaching a physical Safe Place site. More information can be found here.
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