Police say more victims may be involved in human trafficking case involving 3 people

Police believe there may be more victims involved in a human trafficking case that resulted in three Longs residents being arrested.

The charges stem from what appears to be two victims, including one under the age of 18.

Brittany Marquita Rutledge Jackson, 25, and Lashon Alvin Ladson, 37, were charged with trafficking in persons Feb. 24 and booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, according to SLED.

Those charges stem from a victim who was over the age of 18 and homeless, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Jackson apparently knew the victim was addicted to narcotics and subjected the victim to a human trafficking scheme for compensation in August, according to SLED.

Jackson allegedly bought a hotel room at the Comfort Suites Hotel, 710 Frontage Road E, and posted commercial sex ads of the victim in various stages of nudity. Ladson allegedly provided narcotics to the victim, according to SLED. Both Jackson and Ladson benefited from the human trafficking by taking all of the proceeds, SLED said.

In October, both Jackson and Ladson, along with Kwame Vereen, 33, were charged with trafficking in persons under the age of 18, according to SLED.

Vereen and Ladson are accused of engaging in “sexual battery of a victim while being human trafficked” at the hotel between Sept. 13 and 15.

Vereen was charged with criminal sexual conduct and trafficking in persons under the age of 18 and booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Oct. 13. He was arrested by the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.

Ladson was arrested by Myrtle Beach Police Department in September and booked into the detention center for drug charges, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, unlawful to hire person under 18 to violate obscenity statutes, first degree criminal sexual conduct and trafficking in persons.

A Myrtle Beach Police report said that officers responded to the Comfort Suites Hotel on Sept. 15 to assist another law enforcement agency with the recovery of a missing person. The person was located and turned over to the Department of Social Services.

Jackson apparently knew the victim was under the age of 18 and continued to subject the victim to a trafficking scheme that she participated in, the report said.

SLED agents worked with investigators from Horry County Police Department, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, as well as multidisciplinary team partners from the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the Dorchester Child Advocacy Center and the Julie Valentine Center.