A convicted felon was arrested for allegedly trafficking a 14-year-old girl who was discovered in Anaheim.
The suspect was identified as Marcus Boyd, 36, of Las Vegas, Nevada, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
On July 9, authorities received information about a 14-year-old girl who was being trafficked for sex. The girl was located in Anaheim and detectives began investigating the alleged trafficking.
Boyd was identified as the suspect and was spotted driving later that day. Officers attempted to pull him over but he refused to yield, leading police on a pursuit.
At one point, Boyd ditched his vehicle and began fleeing on foot. He was eventually located and taken into custody.
On July 11, he was charged with:
- Human trafficking of a minor
- Pandering a minor under 16 years old
- Possession of a silencer
- Evading a police officer
- Resisting and obstructing a police officer
Boyd’s previous convictions were not released. The case was investigated by the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF).
“A critical component of the OCHTTF is the OCDA’s Human Exploitation And Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers,” officials explained.
The lead agencies involved in the task force include the California Highway Patrol, Irvine Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Probation Department, Orange County Social Services Agency, The Salvation Army, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Boyd remains in custody and is being held on $1 million bail.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 888-373-7888 or call your local law enforcement agency.