A missing Chicago teen was rescued from sex traffickers after hotel employees noticed something was off at their workplace.
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Earlier this week, the Tuscaloosa Police Department received a call concerning a welfare check on a resident as reported by FOX2Detroit. Front desk employee Desiree Garrette said she noticed suspicious activity during check-in and recognized the signs of sex trafficking taking place. She alerted her coworker, Meredith Griffin, and they informed their supervisor about the teen and checked performed a welfare check then verified her identity before contacting authorities.
Officers arrived at the hotel with investigators from the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. The teen was a 17-year-old who was reported missing several days prior. Michigan resident, 33-year-old Geremy Lemel Glass, was arrested and charged with first-degree human trafficking and second-degree possession of marijuana. West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force commander Capt. Phil Simpson said in a statement: “The hotel staff took thoughtful action to check on the welfare of their guest without regard to their own safety.”
Credit: Tuscaloosa Police
Investigators said the teen was attempting to flee from the hotel but officers were able to apprehend her.
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“The Tuscaloosa Police Department would like to thank the hotel staff for their diligence and for the lengths they went to in order to help recover this endangered juvenile. The police department is not releasing the name or location of the hotel due to the ongoing investigation. Additional arrests are expected in this case.”
The teen will be transported back to Chicago and Glass is currently being held at the Tuscaloosa County Jail with no bond for the trafficking charge and $6,000 for the drug charge.
Similar arrests took place in Oklahoma after a teen was trafficked at a Dallas Mavericks game
A 15-year-old girl went to a Dallas Mavericks game with her father at the American Airlines arena and went to the bathroom but never returned. She was missing for ten days but was found at an Extended Stay Hotel in Oklahoma City. Earlier this month, police arrested Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevaun Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzales, Thalia Gibson, and Steven Hil in connection to the case.
The teen’s mother released a statement thanking police for their work in arresting the suspects.
“We are thankful for the work of the Oklahoma City Police Department and the recovery of our daughter. My heart breaks for the unimaginable things my daughter had to endure for the 11 days she was taken, and I am so glad she is safe as we work toward her recovery.”
According to the New York Post, the family worked with the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative since the Dallas Police Department treated the situation as a “runaway teen” case due to family state laws.