Human trafficking sting brings 37 teens home in SoCal in sheriff and feds takedown

By Ben Chapman

Dozens of teens across California and neighboring states were brought home safe after a massive human trafficking sting operation.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, together with the U.S. Marshals and other agencies, recovered 37 missing minors aged 14-17 during a human trafficking operation dubbed “Operation Safe Return.” 

The youths rescued by the sheriff and federal agents were provided with victim services, medical support and resources to help them reunite with their families.  

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The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office worked with federal law enforcement to find missing teens.Facebook/Riverside County Sheriff's Office
“We will never stop fighting to protect California children and bring them home,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement announcing the operation.

During the operation, more than 50 minors between the ages of 14 and 17 were identified as missing, according to the Sheriff’s office. The teens targeted in the operation were missing for anywhere from one month to two years.

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The U.S. Marshals led the federal effort in “Operation Safe Return.”Instagram/usmarshalshq

The Sherrif’s office dispatched officers and social workers to rescue the missing teens in areas including Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Orange County and Los Angeles.

On average, between 5,000 – 6,000 children run away from home or go missing each year in Riverside County alone, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A majority of those children return home shortly after leaving. 

Child Sex Trafficking Victims As Young As 13 Rescued In Massive CA Operation

 

"This is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It is nothing less than modern slavery," LA County DA Nathan Hochman said.

Chris Lindahl, Patch Staff

More than 600 people have been arrested and over 160 victims — including children — were rescued as part of a statewide operation targeting human trafficking, authorities announced Tuesday.

The weeklong operation, dubbed Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, involved more than 80 law enforcement agencies across the state. In total, 611 suspected "johns" and traffickers were arrested, while more than 150 adult victims and 14 child victims were rescued — including one who is just 13 years old, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference.

The investigation involved human trafficking task forces in Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, Stanislaus, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Ventura counties, among other law enforcement agencies.

"How embarrassing that I could actually say that we have corridors of human sex trafficking throughout Los Angeles County," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "It's also a dubious distinction that Los Angeles County is one of the epicenters of human sex trafficking in the entire nation. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It is nothing less than modern slavery."

The investigation was launched after a resident complained about a house being used as a brothel in the LA County city of Walnut, authorities said.

“A coordinated, multi-location search warrant operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies … identified several residential brothels in the city of Walnut, which resulted in the arrests of six traffickers," Luna said, according to KTLA.

Authorities also focused their investigation on the Figueroa Street Corridor in South Los Angeles, the Western Avenue Corridor in Koreatown and the Sepulveda Corridor in the San Fernando Valley.

"We have traffickers that are putting barely teenage girls on the streets of Los Angeles to be victimized, repeatedly, over and over again," Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said. "These children did not come from one place. They came from Chicago, from Oklahoma, from Missouri, tribal lands ... and from communities right here in the state of California."

City News Service contributed to this report.

Berkeley Police Believe Recent Kidnapping Attempts May Be Related

 

Two attempted kidnappings that occurred in the last month may be related, according to an alert issued by the Berkeley Police Department on Friday.

An unknown suspect attempted to kidnap a 12-year-old boy Tuesday evening near the intersection of Sacramento Avenue and Addison Street, the alert noted. According to the alert, the boy was riding his scooter on the sidewalk when a woman stopped her car in front of him and attempted to lure him into the vehicle. The attempt was thwarted when the boy ran away from the alleged perpetrator, the alert added.

BPD noted it believes that this incident is related to another attempted kidnapping from Aug. 29, reported near Allston Way and McKinley Avenue. In that incident, a person in a white car pulled up to a 13-year-old girl and attempted to convince her to get inside, according to the alert. The girl refused and walked away from the situation, the alert noted.

Witnesses described the suspect as a 5’4″ Black woman between the ages of 30 and 40. She was noted as having a “chubby build” and black hair that was in a bun, according to the alert. The vehicle was identified as a newer model white Honda or Toyota sedan, the alert added.

The alert encouraged those with information on the attempted kidnappings to contact BPD.

Check Back For Updates.

Sex Offender Jumps Elementary School Fence To Attack Child: Police

 A convicted sex offender is behind bars again on suspicion of assaulting a young girl inside a Riverside County elementary school bathroom.

Paige Austin,Patch Staff

Police arrested 32-year-old Logan Nighswonger of Riverside on suspicion of attempted sex acts with a child under the age of 10 and being a registered sex offender on school grounds. (Riverside Police Department)

RIVERSIDE, CA — A convicted sex offender is in custody today after allegedly hopping the fence at a Riverside County Elementary school and attempting to sexually assault a child in the girl's restroom, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Police arrested 32-year-old Logan Nighswonger of Riverside on suspicion of attempted sex acts with a child under the age of 10 and being a registered sex offender on school grounds.

The incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. Friday at McAuliffe Elementary in the 4100 block of Golden Avenue, according to the Riverside Police Department.

"A man had jumped the school fence and entered the girls’ restroom," the police department said in a written statement. "A campus supervisor observed this man, later identified as Logan Nighswonger, come out of the restroom and heard a girl crying inside."

"The campus supervisor followed Logan Nighswonger as he jumped other fences to the parking lot and get inside a vehicle," according to Riverside police Officer Ryan J. Railsback. "He was then able to provide a detailed vehicle description and license plate as the suspect drove away."

"Nighswonger was located and safely detained, then transported back to Riverside and later booked into jail," the Riverside Police Department said in a written statement.

He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, where he is being held without bail.

Nighswonger's previous conviction stems from a 2016 conviction for annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.

According to a 2015 statement issued by the Riverside Police Department, Nighswonger was arrested for two separate incidents involving inappropriate comments to children and one incident of exposing himself to elementary school students at Mark Twain Elementary in Riverside. He was caught thanks to several students who were able to get his license plate following the incidents, police said.

At the time, The investigation led investigating officers to believe these types of incidents might have occurred at other local elementary schools in Riverside and the city of Corona.

Anyone with information about Friday's incident and arrest or other incidents involving Nighswonger is urged to contact Detective Stacie Ontko at 951-353-7121 or SOntko@RiversideCA.gov.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Sex assault accusers describe Bay Area coach’s ‘cult-like’ hold on them

Chioke Robinson faces 19 felony charges in sex assault case:

LOS GATOS – JULY 26: People space out and listen to speakers during a Stand for Survivor Solidarity event held on the football field of Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif., on Sunday, July 26, 2020. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

By CURTIS PASHELKA 

SAN JOSE – A graphic and sometimes emotional preliminary hearing for a former South Bay track and field coach charged with multiple counts of sexual assault against underage girls is expected to conclude Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Chioke “Chee” Robinson, 46, has been charged with 19 felonies, including eight counts of oral copulation with a minor under 18 and five counts of sexual penetration with a minor under 18.

Deputy District Attorney Anne Seery plans to have San Jose Police Detective Michael O’Grady testify Monday morning. After that, Judge Julia Alloggiamento will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Through the first four days of the hearing last week, four women who were coached by Robinson while in high school testified that they had sexual interactions with him before their 18th birthdays, with one witness saying her first encounter took place when she was 14 or 15. A fifth woman testified Friday that she was 14 when Robinson grabbed her breasts and touched her genital area.

The alleged incidents described in court took place between 1998 and 2011.

Three of the women said they were 17 when Robinson first had sexual intercourse with them. The former coach is also charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor age 14 or 15, one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14, and oral copulation with a minor under 16.

Throughout the week, prosecutors sought to portray Robinson as a predatory figure who would gain the trust of his underage victims through ordinary coach-athlete interactions. The relationships then would grow more flirtatious, ultimately turning physical.

Multiple witnesses testified that they sought to please and protect Robinson, who they said was a controlling figure in their lives. One woman who attended Presentation High School, said she began a years-long sexual relationship with Robinson in 2006, when she was 17 and a member of his club team, ISC International.

“My life all revolved around him,” she said, later adding that the track club had a “cult-like mentality. We all just followed.”

Another woman, who broke down crying at one point under cross-examination, said she lied to Los Gatos police about their relationship. She testified Thursday that she was 14 at the time of her first sexual encounter with Robinson in 1998. As a once-promising runner, she said she was “recruited” to attend Los Gatos High School and compete in both track and field and cross-country.

That witness testified she had just started her freshman year and got to know Robinson after seeing him every day at cross-country practice. She said Robinson told her that she was a good athlete and then began to give her “extra attention” by giving her rides home and regularly calling her own home phone.

She testified that their relationship began with kissing but said the two had their first sexual encounter on a stairwell after a South Bay cross-country meet at another high school. The incident involved oral sex and other acts. After that encounter, the relationship became more sexual as the two saw each other alone on a more frequent basis.

“I was sort of numb,” she testified on direct examination when asked how that made her feel. “I didn’t know what to make of the attention.”

She testified that the first time Robinson had sexual intercourse with her was in the spring of her freshman year after she had turned 15 in January.

By the time she was a sophomore, she testified that she felt she was in a full, “secret relationship” with Robinson, one that continued for approximately six more years. She said the two moved in together around the time of her 18th birthday, but that she broke off the relationship in 2005 when she was 21.

Child Molestation Charges Filed Against East County Man

Six felony charges of lewd acts on a child were filed against a 34-year-old East County man accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

By California News Wire Services, News Partner

Aug 9, 2019 1:52 pm ET

Six felony charges of lewd acts on a child were filed against a 34-year-old East County man accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl. (Shutterstock)

EL CAJON, CA – Six felony charges of lewd acts on a child were filed Thursday against a 34-year-old East County man accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

Shaun Crocker, also known as Shawn Hedge Crocker, according to a criminal complaint, is accused of touching the victim inappropriately on various occasions between September and November of last year.

According to KGTV, Crocker is the son of Matthew Hedge, a convicted sex molestation convictions, but also a judge's controversial decision to lift Hedge's sexually violent predator status and release him from custody without supervision.

KGTV cites statements from the alleged victim's mother regarding Crocker's parentage, though the District Attorney's office has not confirmed the relation.

Crocker, who faces 18 years in prison if convicted of all charges, was arrested Wednesday and remains in custody on $1 million bail, according to county jail records. He's next due in court Aug. 16.

Hedge pleaded guilty in 1989 to molesting four children in the San Diego area and served 12 years in prison. He was committed to the sexually violent predator treatment program in 1997, but was released into outpatient treatment in 2005 in a trailer outside Donovan State Prison in Otay Mesa.

His outpatient status was revoked within six weeks for violating terms of his release.

After more than two years of in-patient hospital treatment, the court in October 2008 again granted Hedge's petition to be placed in outpatient treatment.

In 2012, he was released without supervision after San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill determined he no longer posed a danger to others and was unlikely to re-offend.

– City News Service

18 Marines, 1 Sailor Arrested On Smuggling, Drug Charges

Three more service members were taken into custody in connection with a criminal probe into human smuggling and drug offenses that led to the arrests of 16 Marines at Camp Pendleton, investigators said. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)

CAMP PENDLETON, CA — Three more service members – two Marines and one Navy sailor – were taken into custody in connection with a criminal probe into human smuggling and drug offenses that led to the arrests of 16 Marines at Camp Pendleton, investigators said Friday.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents took 16 Marines into custody Thursday morning during a battalion-wide roll-call formation at the northern San Diego County military installation, according to Marine Corps officials.

The arrestees range in rank from E-2 to E-4 and were all from the same unit – 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Their identities and details on the allegations against them were not immediately available.

NCIS officials confirmed Friday that two more Marines had been arrested, along with one sailor, pushing the total number of arrests to 19.

"NCIS apprehended 18 Marines and one Sailor yesterday (Thursday) in relation to an ongoing investigation into allegations of human smuggling and drug-related offenses," NCIS spokesman Jeff Houston said in a statement. "The 1st Marine Division is cooperating with NCIS on this matter. NCIS is dedicated to investigating allegations of criminal activity that poses threats to Department of the Navy readiness and the safety of U.S. citizens.

"Out of respect for the investigative and judicial process, and to protect witnesses, NCIS will not comment further until the investigative and judicial process has completed," he said.

No other details were provided about the additional arrests.

As of Friday afternoon, the suspects had yet to be charged with any crimes, said USMC Maj. Kendra Motz, a 1st Marine Division spokeswoman.

"Out of respect for the privacy of the implicated Marines, we will not release names or other identifying information until charges are announced," Motz said. "The commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment will act within his authority to hold the Marines accountable at the appropriate level, should they be charged."

According to a Marine Corps statement, the arrests stemmed from "information gained from a previous human-smuggling investigation." Eight other Marines were interrogated Thursday for their alleged involvement in unrelated drug crimes, officials said. It was not immediately clear if the two additional Marine arrests announced Friday came from that group.

"None of the Marines arrested or detained for questioning served in support of the Southwest Border Support mission," according to the Marine Corps statement.

The prior case that led investigators to the new arrests involved Camp Pendleton Marines Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero, who were taken into custody three weeks ago.

On July 3, Border Patrol agents investigating suspected human- smuggling activity in the southeastern reaches of San Diego County pulled over a small black car near Boulevard, according to a federal complaint.

Inside the vehicle were Law, Salazar-Quintero and three Mexican nationals in the United States illegally, the court document states. The two servicemen were taken into custody on suspicion of transporting undocumented immigrants for financial gain.

Law and Salazar-Quintero are being prosecuted in federal court. The newly arrested Marines' cases are in the military justice system for now, though they could wind up in the civilian legal arena, as well, said 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, another public-information officer with the 1st Marine Division.

MISSING TEEN: It's been 1 year since Tiffany Terwilliger was last seen

by: Kel Dansby

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is asking for help from the public to locate missing teenager, Tiffany Terwilliger.

Tiffany Terwilliger went missing a year ago on March 29, 2018. She was last seen at her home in Las Vegas, NV. Tiffany may still be in the local area or she may attempt to travel to Henderson, Nevada or Yucaipa, California.

She is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with blue eyes, pierced ears, and naturally light brown hair; however, her hair may be dyed red.

Anyone with information about Tiffany is asked to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) or the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at 1-702-828-3111.

Missing Black girls and the individuals and organizations trying to help

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent 

Have you seen Iniaya Wilson?

Just 14, Iniaya has been missing from her Columbus, Ohio home since January 25.

She’s African American, has brown hair and brown eyes; standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds.

Have you seen Skylar Mannie?

From Lancaster, Calif., Skylar is also Black and just 13 years old. She was last seen on Feb. 14.

She has black hair, brown eyes, stands 5 feet 5 inches and weighs 130 pounds.

The two are among the estimated 64,000 Black girls and women across the United States that have gone missing. Iniaya and Skylar are also among an unfortunately growing number of young people listed in the “critically missing” section of the expansive database of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

That includes girls and women of all backgrounds, an important distinction because of the lack of media coverage of African Americans who’ve gone missing.

That has spurred activists and some in Congress to action.

In efforts to address the problem of missing Black children nationwide, Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), and Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) initiated the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls in 2016. Through the caucus, they hope to create public policies that “eliminate significant barriers and disparities experienced by black women.”

According to BlackNews.com, members of the caucus believe that more federal assistance and collaboration is needed to further eliminate the problem.

“I feel like knocking on every attic, every garage to see where those girls are,” House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi said. “Let’s be an example to the world that we can’t rest until these girls are found.”

Further, the nonprofit Black and Missing But Not Forgotten, also has focused its attention on spotlighting and finding missing African Americans.

Since 2007, the organization has sought to develop relationships with media, government agencies and the public to ensure that missing African Americans receive prompt attention and concern to garner the best possible outcomes for each case.

A 2010 study about the media coverage of missing children in the United States discovered that only 20 percent of reported stories focused on missing Black children despite it corresponding to 33 percent of the overall missing children cases.

The report revealed that missing Black youth – especially Black girls – are underreported in the news and it seems that many people don’t even care.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that in 2018 alone, there were 424,066 reports of missing children made to law enforcement around the country.

John and Revé Walsh and other child advocates founded the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as a private, non-profit organization to serve as the national clearinghouse and to provide a coordinated, national response to problems relating to missing and exploited children.

Walsh, who formerly hosted “America’s Most Wanted,” now does similar work with his show, “In Pursuit.”

The show, which airs on the Investigation Discovery network, has remained relentless in its pursuit of missing children.

Original Article

Which States Have the Most Missing Persons?

Over 600,000 people go missing each year:

 BY CHRISTINA MULLEN

According to NamUS, over 600,000 people go missing each year in the United States, ranging from young children to older individuals.

Famous missing person cases such as the Elizabeth Smart or Jayme Closs disappearances are well-known missing persons cases, but countless other cases never make it to the spotlight.

National Missing Persons Day—February 3—gives the nation an opportunity to focus more on finding those missing persons, and some states are even expanding those efforts. Arizona holds a Missing in Arizona Day each year where forensic experts and law enforcement take information, notes, and records about missing individuals in hopes of finding some of those people.

Below, we explore which states have the most missing persons to help keep you informed about this epidemic.

Methodology

The team at VivintSource.com gathered data from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to see which states have the most and least amounts of missing persons per capita. State populations reported came from the 2017 American Community Survey one-year estimates.

Data Highlights

A missing person is defined as “anyone whose whereabouts is unknown whatever the circumstances of disappearance.” They can be considered a lost person, someone who has voluntarily gone missing, or someone who is missing against their will. In our research, we uncovered some compelling data about missing persons:

• Of the 15,207 people currently missing in the US, approximately 60% are male and 40% are female.
• The average age of people when they go missing is around 34.
• As of January 2019, there are 106 children currently missing who were younger than a year old when they went missing.
• Alaska has the most missing persons per capita, with 41.8 people missing per 100,000 population. Massachusetts has the least missing persons per capita, with 1.8 people missing per 100,000 population.
• However, California has the most missing persons in total, with 2,133 people missing. Rhode Island has the least, with 20 people missing.
• The cities with the most missing people total include Los Angeles (189), Phoenix (170), Houston (165), San Francisco (163), and Detroit (150).
• There are 12,459 unidentified persons as of January 2019.

Human-trafficking crackdown: 510 arrested, 56 rescued in California

By Jovana Lara

Los Angeles - More than 500 suspects were arrested and 56 people were rescued during a statewide human-trafficking crackdown, officials said.

The Los Angeles County Regional Human Trafficking Task Forces announced the arrests of 510 suspects during the three-day sweep, called Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.

During the operation, which took place between Jan. 25 and 27, the task force said 45 adults and 11 girls were rescued.

Among the 510 suspects arrested, 30 are suspected traffickers and 178 are alleged "johns."

The task force is housed by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and is a collaboration of more than 85 federal, state, county and local law enforcement and non-profit community organizations.

Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell gave details surrounding some of the arrests.

In one very disturbing incident in Milpitas, California, a man dressed in full police uniform - including a side arm - was arrested on felony charges after he sexually assaulted a human-trafficking victim, McDonnell said. The suspect was found to be already on felony probation and wanted by police for additional, similar crimes.

The sheriff said the operation targeted those who use the internet to exploit victims. In one such instance, McDonnell said an undercover deputy posing as a young female on social media was contacted by a suspect, who recruited her to work for him in the commercial sex trade.

After arranging a meeting, the pimp drove from Riverside County to meet with his victim. He demanded $500 from the victim for him to manage her. The suspect would collect the money from the customers and give the victim whatever he decided she needed. McDonnell said the suspect was arrested by task force detectives and found to be in possession of a stolen .357 Magnum handgun.

The task force was established in November 2015 and since that time, 948 suspects have been arrested in connection to human trafficking.


The Los Angeles-based non-profit Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking is providing help, including shelter and food, to the victims rescued during the operation.