Bend Police made an arrest after a victim reached out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline last week. According to Deschutes County 911 Dispatch, a 31-year-old Salem woman texted the Hotline to report that she was being forced to engage in commercial sex acts and was being held against her will in a room at the Red Lion Inn & Suites on NE Butler Market Road.
After multiple attempts to contact the victim went unanswered, officers knocked and announced themselves, ordering those inside to open the door. When the victim answered the door, officers evacuated the victim and took the suspect into custody.
During a later interview with the victim, she told police that the suspect had punched her in the face multiple times and forced her to engage in sex acts with multiple men over the course of two days. Officers located an online ad for the victim, as well as more than $1,000 in the suspect’s possession.
The suspect, a 33-year-old man from Vancouver, Washington, was arrested and jailed on suspicion of fourth-degree assault and promoting prostitution, and was cited for a warrant involving a traffic offense in Salem.
If you or someone you know is involved in a trafficking situation, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733. Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human traffickin
