Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday the arrest of a man accused of sex trafficking minors and the recovery of a 17-year-old victim in Houston, Texas.
Paxton wrote in a news release that Deveon Dwayne Byrd was arrested by the Office of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit for allegedly Compelling Prostitution and Trafficking of Persons under the age of 18.
This arrest was a result of an investigation conducted by the OAG Human Trafficking Unit alongside the OAG Fugitive Apprehension Unit, the Department of Public Safety Human Trafficking Unit, and the Houston Police Department.
An investigation by the Human Trafficking Unit uncovered “sex service advertisements online,” with a subsequent investigation by all the departments leading to suspicion that a child under 18 years old was involved.
The news release from Paxton states that an underage victim was later rescued from a Houston hotel in the 9000 block of Westheimer Avenue, with Deveon Byrd being apprehended on-site and taken to the Harris County Jail on May 7.
“The sex trafficking of minors is one of the most heinous and disgusting crimes imaginable, and I will continue to use the full force of my office to put these sick predators behind bars,” stated Paxton in the news release.
“I commend the brave work by our Human Trafficking Unit and law enforcement partners who helped rescue this young victim. Texas will not tolerate those who prey on children and exploit the innocent.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, sex trafficking is running rampant throughout the Lone Star State, with shocking numbers about the epidemic being reported in Dallas.
Crime analytics from 2024 indicate that there has been a 54.5% increase in the number of instances of assisting or promoting prostitution citywide, along with a 70% increase in human trafficking for commercial sex.
Stacey Montgomery, President of Shepherd’s Watch Foundation, previously told The Dallas Express, “There are 400+ escort sites servicing the Dallas area,” and it is “near impossible to count them all.”
Montgomery further stated that these sites are limited to spots where the City of Dallas is listed as the location, indicating that there are likely even more spots just outside city limits.