A two-day operation led by Fort Worth police’s human trafficking unit led to the arrest of a local man and the recovery of his alleged victim over the weekend.
Keith Sentmore, 19, was taken into custody on charges of sex trafficking minors and evading arrest. His bond is currently set at $76,500.
The arrest was made possible by Fort Worth authorities collaborating with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the FBI.
To identify Sentmore as a suspect, investigators interviewed 16 suspected trafficking victims. Another 16-year-old alleged victim was rescued from the suspect as a result. All have been put in touch with advocacy services, according to Fort Worth police.
Non-profit groups like Traffick911 and New Friends New Life aim to support victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. The latter is holding a fundraising event at the Hyatt Regency Dallas on Friday, with Emmy award-winner Kerry Washington delivering a keynote speech.
The pervasive issue of sex trafficking has made headlines recently in North Texas.
For instance, one trafficker from Dallas, 39-year-old Demetrius Lewaun Byrd, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in late August, as covered in The Dallas Express. He coerced one 17-year-old and two 18-year-olds into sex trafficking between 2016 and 2018.
The commercial sex industry often underpinning sex trafficking operations has been more visible, especially in police logs.
For instance, while the number of human trafficking offenses recorded by the City of Dallas has remained relatively low at 35 as of September 27, there has been a substantial increase in prostitution-related offenses this year.
As of September 27, 490 prostitution offenses had been logged citywide, of which 44 were sex purchasers and 39 were facilitators of these commercial sex transactions. The rest were those selling sex, with these crimes spiking by almost 195% compared to this time last year.
As reported in The Dallas Express earlier this month, these figures are largely due to DPD’s Northwest Patrol Division’s efforts to curb the activity in its jurisdiction, which overlaps with City Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6 — said to be “ground zero” for prostitution offenses.
Yet the buyers of sex have also been targeted by recent law enforcement initiatives. If found guilty, a john can be sentenced to up to two years in prison on the first offense.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security spearheaded a five-day operation in Dallas-Fort Worth that resulted in the arrest of 134 suspected johns, as reported in The Dallas Express. One of the individuals taken into custody during the sting was reportedly a high-ranked City employee.