Category: South Carolina

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10 arrested in York County child exploitation operation: ‘These predators are out here’

Apr 7, 2021 | , , , , , , , , ,

Predators from North and South Carolina traveled to York County looking for sex with children as young as 10, deputies said Monday. Deputies said 10 people were arrested in “Operation Home Alone,” which was underway from March 10-14. The operation took place at several different spots, including an abandoned home in Fort Mill, South Carolina, deputies said.

“Seven of the 10 arrestees, dubbed as travelers, actually came to the residence or attempted to come to the residence of the operation,” deputies said. “The ages of the children they thought they were coming to have sex with were 10 to 17 years old.”

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson described the web as having “holes” and “crannies” that can be used for people to prey on children.

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Private Investigator: Sex trafficking surging during pandemic

Private Investigator: Sex trafficking surging during pandemic

Aug 24, 2020 | , , ,

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH)–The pandemic has led to a surge in sex trafficking , according to a private investigator who is based in the Midlands.
Investigator Chandra Cleveland has helped rescue many victims from sex trafficking.
“Last year almost to the date, of a 14-year-old that I had been looking for with her mother and father for nine months — almost 10 months — ended up finding another 14 year old with the same guy that was on house arrest for the same crime,” Cleveland said.

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Three brothers arrested for human trafficking in Lancaster Co.

Three brothers arrested for human trafficking in Lancaster Co.

Jun 8, 2020 | , , ,

Lancaster Co., SC — Three brothers were arrested Thursday and charged with human trafficking and related offenses, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office reports. Sheriff Barry Faile said, “This was an exhaustive investigation. When it began we had little to go on. This victim is a courageous young lady, and she provided us enough pieces of the puzzle that investigators were able to put together the picture and identify the men and the location involved. These men preyed upon a particularly vulnerable young person and committed atrocious crimes against her. I am most appreciative of the efforts of our investigators and those of SLED, HSI, and the Attorney General’s Office.”

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Lawsuit alleges three Aiken County motels knew about, profited from human trafficking

Lawsuit alleges three Aiken County motels knew about, profited from human trafficking

May 28, 2020 | , , ,

AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. — Three Aiken County motels are being sued for allegedly knowing about and profiting from sex trafficking that occurred at their property between August 2017 and 2018.

The plaintiff, represented by attorney Daniel R. Dalton of Mickelsen Dalton LLC in Mount Pleasant, is described as a female resident of South Carolina who is a victim of a “severe form of trafficking,” according to a complaint filed Thursday through the Second Judicial Circuit. At each location, the plaintiff was told by her trafficker to decline housekeeping; the trafficker paid for rooms in cash or with counterfeit money and a large number of men and women would enter and exit where the plaintiff stayed. The South Carolina Attorney General’s human trafficking force task force is comprised of more than 300 different agencies across the state, including some in Aiken, and is working to get to the root of the problem.

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Simpsonville Groups Fight Human Trafficking

Simpsonville Groups Fight Human Trafficking

Feb 20, 2020 | ,

Simpsonville, South Carolina a workshop was held on the signs of human trafficking. Hotel staff at the Holiday INN Express & Suites were at the workshop learning about signs that they showed watch out for throughout the hotel. Nonprofit SWITCH was also helping put the workshop on. SWITCH wants to end human trafficking in the Upstate. It has five programs for survivors of human trafficking.

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Police: Man charged in Raleigh kidnapping, statutory rape spurs human trafficking investigation

Police: Man charged in Raleigh kidnapping, statutory rape spurs human trafficking investigation

Dec 18, 2018 | , ,

Olabi, 22, of Raleigh, N.C. caused parents to be concerned over a year ago when he was recruiting teens to work part time with the Carolina Youth Club. He’s now arrested after a routine traffic stop outside of Wellford, South Carolina that led to the discovery of a kidnapped 13-year-old girl. “Certainly her age was cause for concern and the girl’s attire was also a red flag. “She was not dressed appropriately for the weather, Officer R.A. Smith said.

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Sex trafficking in SC: ‘Housing first’ model is key for 1st safe home for women

Sex trafficking in SC: ‘Housing first’ model is key for 1st safe home for women

Nov 28, 2018 | , ,

A small, spiral-bound notebook stays with a Greenville woman wherever she goes. For the past month, she’s been filling up the pages, growing her “thankful list.” She’s thankful to be alive. Thankful for a second chance. Thankful for a roof over her head. Thankful for a hot shower. It’s a new season of life for the 34-year-old since leaving a lifestyle of prostitution and drug abuse that began at a young age. The woman is one of five embarking on a two-year recovery program in Greenville that pulls survivors out of human sex trafficking, an industry that’s become a hidden epidemic across the U.S. and in South Carolina, particularly in the Upstate where Interstate 85 connects Atlanta to Charlotte, two of the nation’s trafficking hotbeds.

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