TAMPA, Fla. — A man is behind bars after Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office undercover detectives met with two women from escort advertisements online and learned one was a victim of human trafficking, the agency said in a statement.
Frank Terry, 29, is charged with coercing for commercial sex act by human trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution and transportation for prostitution.
Detectives with HCSO's Human Trafficking Squad monitor prostitution sites year-round and posed undercover to meet with women from the online escort service, the sheriff's office said. They do so "in hopes of identifying and rescuing human trafficking victims and arresting those responsible for the crime."
Undercover detectives met with two women at the unnamed hotel on Wednesday. When the two arrived using a rideshare service, detectives noticed a man, later identified as Terry, seated in the front seat, according to the sheriff's office.
Once they met with the women, deputies had probable cause to take both women into custody. That's when they learned one of the women was a victim of human trafficking.
"They learned the suspect had forced the victim into commercial sexual acts in order to pay a debt she owed him," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Terry was later arrested and remains incarcerated at the Falkenburg Road jail.
"Anyone who believes they can make a livelihood by taking advantage of women in Hillsborough County needs a reality check," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. "It is inhumane and our detectives continue to crack down on those whose vile and heinous business is to force women into a life of human trafficking.
Selah Freedom, an anti-human trafficking non-profit organization, was able to help the woman get into a safe house for the night and assist with additional services.