EDMONDS, Wash. – A 30-year-old is behind bars after a multi-state investigation brought police in Edmonds and other cities in western Washington to a motel where a teenage female victim was located. Law enforcement agencies worked with local partners to ensure she has travel arrangements back home safely, according to an Edmonds Police statement over the weekend.
The suspect, a California man, was wanted for offenses out of Las Vegas and Oakland, such as kidnapping, child abuse, and sex trafficking of a minor prior to his arrest in Snohomish County.
Timeline: — The human trafficking investigation spanning multiple states escalated when law enforcement learned about incidents unfolding at two motels along Highway 99 in Washington.
Investigators say small tips from the community and much planning and cooperation with interstate law enforcement partners made the arrest possible. Police found a 17-year-old girl they believe was being trafficked under the control of the 30-year-old man. …