An Arlington, Texas, man, Randolph Lewis, has been arrested in Michigan and charged with operating a human trafficking ring spanning multiple states.
The 33-year-old faces accusations of exploiting at least 10 victims, some as young as 17, in a case that began with a 911 call from a hotel lobby.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin V. Barren said the investigation started early Monday, July 21, when officers responded to a disturbance at the Quality Inn on Telegraph Road. A 21-year-old woman from Louisiana reported that Lewis broke her windshield over a food dispute.
“These victims, some as young as 17 years old, were coerced, threatened, and manipulated into a life of sex trafficking,” Barren said during a news conference.
The woman revealed she had been trafficked by Lewis, whom she met in Louisiana, traveling between Texas and Louisiana twice monthly for a year. She said she was unaware she was in Michigan, having also been taken to St. Louis and Chicago before arriving in Southfield. She alleged Lewis forced her and others into sex work across several states, including North Texas, and kept her earnings while assaulting her. Another victim in Louisiana had previously contacted police, prompting Lewis to flee the state.
Police found sex toys and condoms in the hotel rooms Lewis had rented and learned his victims were advertised on sex websites. Body camera footage captured his arrest in the lobby, and a video later showed him injuring himself in a jail cell.
Despite identifying approximately 10 victims, only one other has been contacted, though that individual refused to cooperate. It remains unclear if any victims have reported to Texas law enforcement.
Lewis faces charges of human trafficking, prostitution, using a computer to commit a crime, and criminal sexual conduct. Public records link him to a South Arlington address, with prior arrests in Dallas County in 2024 and Tarrant County in 2023 for drug-related warrants, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
The Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force assisted in his apprehension, and authorities continue efforts to identify additional victims. Lewis is currently being held in the Oakland County, Michigan, jail on $300,000 bond.