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Man charged with human trafficking in HowCo

Posted at 12:52 PM, Apr 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-19 12:52:49-04

A California man was charged with human trafficking in Ellicott City after police received a 911 call for domestic violence.

Howard County Police said 39-year-old Charlton Jeanpierre of Hayward, Calif. faces multiple counts of human trafficking and prostitution. He’s being held at the Howard County Detention Center on $500,000 bond.

Police responded to a domestic assault call in the 8600 block of Town and Country Boulevard after a witness reported seeing a man dragging a woman out of a car.

While questioning those involved, police said they picked up on information that led them to believe the case human trafficking-related and informed detectives who specialize in such cases. Detectives received information indicating Jeanpierre was likely trafficking the women, both 18 years old and from Arkansas.

According to police, Jeanpierre was carrying a large amount of cash along with the women’s personal ID’s. He also had a bag containing cell phones, travel information and a large amount of condoms. One of the women told detectives that Jeanpierre drives her to appointments where she is expected to perform sexual acts for money.

Police arranged for the victims to be provided with services and assistance.

“We have increased our training and resources in the area of human trafficking so our officers know what to look for,” Police Chief Gary Gardner said in a news release. “Howard County simply will not tolerate this kind of exploitation in our community and we will take action against anyone who commits this type of crime.”

Anyone with information about human trafficking in Howard County should call 410-313-STOP or email HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.

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