Arrest, charges and a rescued victim after Fresno law enforcement seek human trafficker

Thaddeus Miller
Officers were called to an intersection near Parkway Drive and Belmont Avenue after a confrontation between multiple men ended with one shot about 1 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, police said.

Officers recently rescued a woman from human trafficking and arrested the man they said forced her into having sex for money, Fresno police said Thursday.

The 30-year-old man was arrested after police and the FBI made contact with the victim on Oct. 12, police said in a news release.

The effort was part of an operation specifically targeting human traffickers, police said. The victim was in her 20s, officer Felipe Uribe said.

Police arrested the man on Nov. 8 and served a warrant at his home on Lotus Avenue south of Ventura Street and east of Elm Avenue, according to the release.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office charged him Nov. 10 with human trafficking, pimping, pandering and firearm charges, the release said.

Police said the arrest was part of Operation HOOK, Hands Off Our Kids, which nabbed 19 men trying to arrange sex with minors earlier this month.

If you believe anyone to be a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or local law enforcement.

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