Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office has made a significant move in the fight against human trafficking with the arrest of Devonte Hinkston on charges of pimping and pandering. A 33-year-old man from Oakland, Hinkston, was taken into custody last Wednesday, after a several-month-long investigation by the department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking (H.E.A.T) Taskforce. This saga began in May when a victim, whose identity remains confidential, reached out to deputies to report an assault and theft in the unincorporated area of Turlock, eventually revealing the grim reality of being sexually trafficked.
Further investigations by the H.E.A.T Taskforce managed to identify and locate several additional victims actively engaged in the commercial sex trafficking ring run by Hinkston. He was arrested and is currently being held at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center, his freedom priced at a bail of $300,000. Details about the case and the arrest were made available on the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
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