Police arrested a Los Angeles man they say pimped two teenage girls and sexually battered one of them. A third girl, 14, was also rescued as part of an unrelated investigation.
Huston Hughes, 37, was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery with a prior felony and violating parole. He is being held at Men’s Central Jail with no bail.
The arrest resulted from a traffic stop on Jan. 20, during which officers saw two teenage girls, one 16 and the other 17, riding in a car with Hughes, who was on parole for pimping and a weapons violation.
Officers determined that the girls were victims of human trafficking, and that Hughes had sexually battered one of them while in vehicle.
In an unrelated incident, police on Jan. 15 also rescued a 14-year-old girl who they believe was a victim of human trafficking. North Division officers on patrol in the area of Long Beach and Artesia boulevards saw a 14-year-old teenage girl who appeared to be soliciting for commercial sex work.
All three teenage girls were released into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, who reconnected the victims with their families.
Police on Saturday encouraged the public to report suspected human trafficking by either calling 9-1-1, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 888-373-7888, texting 233733, or using the online chat feature at humantraffickinghotline.org/chat.
Anyone with information regarding these investigations is urged to call the Long Beach Police Department’s Vice Investigation Detail at 562-570-7219. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may submit a tip through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.