Florida sex traffickers apprehended, two underage girls rescued by motel owner.
A Heroic Act: Motel Owner Rescues Trafficked Girls
In a remarkable turn of events, a Florida motel owner’s quick thinking led to the rescue of two minor girls and the arrest of alleged child sex traffickers. Ricardo Flores, 44, and Maria Barrios Calero, 44, were apprehended and charged with human trafficking.
The story unfolded at the Lago Motor Inn, just south of West Palm Beach, where Flores checked in alone early Sunday morning. However, an argument between Flores and Calero caught the attention of motel owner Richard Baron, prompting him to investigate.
“He [Flores] opened the door, and then I see two young women, girls, sitting in yoga style, in the middle of the bed,” Baron told local outlet WPEC. “She [Calero] says to me, ‘He has to pay, he didn’t pay.’ I don’t know what happened between them.”
Baron’s shock intensified when he noticed a condom near Flores, who sat on the bed with the two girls. The situation appeared alarming, with the girls sitting quietly, their eyes filled with fear.
Without hesitation, Baron called the police and captured footage of Calero attempting to flee with the young girls. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit swiftly responded, confirming that both minors were victims of commercial sex trafficking.
“Initial fact-finding by detectives on scene confirmed the commercial sex trafficking of two minor victims,” the Palm Beach County Police Department said in a statement. “The two minor victims along with the two suspects were transported to a local substation for interviews.”
Flores allegedly paid to engage in sexual activities with both girls. Consequently, Calero faced three counts of human trafficking, while Flores faced two counts.
As the suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail, Baron’s actions were commended. Having undergone mandatory training to identify signs of child sexual exploitation and forced prostitution, Baron exemplified the importance of public vigilance in combating human trafficking.
State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who leads Palm Beach County’s human trafficking task force, emphasized the significance of community involvement in eradicating modern-day slavery.
“We can’t be everywhere. We depend on the public to be our eyes and ears. That’s why we see mandatory signage in places where we have a number of individuals who have been victims of human trafficking, like bus stations and rest stops on the highway,” the state attorney said.
Florida faces a significant human trafficking problem, ranking as the third highest state for such cases. The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking reports that the average age of victims forced into sex trafficking is between 12 and 14 years old. In 2021 alone, over 10,000 cases of human trafficking were identified in Florida through a hotline.
Director of Victim Services Nicole Bishop highlighted Palm Beach County’s unfortunate status as the state’s third-highest region for reported human trafficking incidents.
This harrowing incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against human trafficking and the crucial role each individual plays in protecting vulnerable individuals.
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