A 19-year-old man from Tyler, Texas, has been arrested on the charges of human trafficking and sexual assault after allegedly kidnapping a girl from her home in Florence, Alabama.
The 13-year-old girl, a minor who the man met through an ongoing thread of Instagram messages, was reported as a missing person on the morning of Thursday, April 15, after her parents found she was gone.
The FBI was able to track her by using her cell phone location until the phone was dumped. Eventually, police were able to track the two using the man’s phone, making their arrest in Tyler, Texas. The arrest was made at the man’s home, where he lived with his parents. His parents denied any knowledge of the girl’s presence in their home. It was only when police questioned the man that they discovered the girl was being held in his bedroom.
Under questioning, the girl revealed that while she initially consented to travel with the man, but said she quickly changed her mind. The man would not take her back to her home in Florence, but he refused because he was tired. Instead, he tried to entertain her and give her food while concealing her in his bedroom.
The man is being held in the Smith County, Texas jail on charges of kidnapping, trafficking, resisting arrest, and child sexual assault. His bonds total over $560,000.
Child sexual assault is a serious charge that can eventually lead to years in prison, and in some cases, a life sentence. In the state of Texas, sexual assault is automatically considered a second-degree felony. If you are convicted of a sexual assault charge, you may be labeled as a sex offender and will be labeled as a felon for the rest of your life.
This conviction can also bring a sentence of between two and twenty years in prison, as well as at least a $10,000 fine. Depending on the age of a victim, the minimum prison sentence may be twenty-five years in prison.
If wrongly accused, these repercussions can be devastating to your future career and other opportunities.
Contact Rosenthal Kalabus & Therrian Today
If you or someone you love has been wrongly accused of a sexual assault crime, you know how stressful it can be to deal with the effects of such an accusation. Building a case can be difficult to do on your own. When you hire the Texas sex crimes attorneys of Rosenthal Kalabus & Therrian, you’ve chosen a team of highly skilled attorneys who will work tirelessly to defend you and your rights.
Having secured many favorable outcomes for clients in similar cases in the past, our firm is one of the best in Texas for sexual assault defense. Our lawyers are knowledgeable in local and federal legislation surrounding such charges and are committed to providing you with high-quality legal counsel as we build your case.
Call Rosenthal Kalabus & Therrian today to schedule a free, confidential case evaluation. We want to walk alongside you as we protect your rights and work with you through these challenging times.