SAN JOSE — A Maryland man has been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking after he tried to recruit somebody he thought was a 16-year-old San Jose woman into business intercourse work on the East Coast, solely to find that he had been corresponding with an undercover cop, authorities stated.

Donnovan Dawkins, 29, was arrested Dec. 30 in Frederick, Maryland by native police on suspicion of crimes involving intercourse trafficking, in line with San Jose police.

The arrest caps a months-long prison investigation by the Santa Clara County Regulation Enforcement Investigating Human Trafficking job pressure, which within the case of Dawkins concerned an undercover police officer posting a profile of a teen woman on social-media boards recognized for intercourse trafficking communications.

In keeping with investigators, Dawkins contacted the person believing their profile was that of a 16-year-old woman from San Jose. All through their ensuing correspondence, Dawkins was repeatedly made conscious that the person was underage, authorities stated.

Via “intensive conversations with an undercover officer, the suspect solicited the feminine for business intercourse trafficking,” San Jose police stated in a press release.

Dawkins allegedly pressed on and organized to buy an airline ticket for the person to fly to Baltimore and meet him. When the person cited her purported age once more to inform him why she couldn’t fly to him, he reportedly gave her particular journey instructions to keep away from suspicion and detection.

Deputy District Legal professional Patrick Vanier, who labored with the duty pressure, stated the undercover investigation was a part of a response to a rise in on-line business intercourse trafficking concentrating on the South Bay.

“Traffickers and pimps see San Jose and Santa Clara County as a spot to market the victims they’re exploiting,” Vanier stated. “We’re doing a number of proactive investigations to determine these exploiters, root them out, and maintain them accountable.”

The investigation of Dawkins resulted in an arrest warrant obtained Dec. 23, and every week later he was taken into police custody at a house in Frederick, Maryland. The arrest was coordinated amongst an array of companies, together with SJPD human trafficking detectives, the Prince George’s County (Maryland) Human Trafficking Process Power, and the State’s Legal professional’s Workplace for Prince George’s County, the place Dawkins lives.

Along with anticipated prices in Santa Clara County, Vanier stated Dawkins may face separate drug and weapons prices in Maryland primarily based on what authorities recovered after serving associated search warrants.

Anybody with details about suspected human trafficking can contact the SJPD Human Trafficking Process Power at 408-537-1999 and stopslavery@sanjoseca.gov, or the Santa Clara County job pressure at 408-792-2700 and HTTips@dao.sccgov.org. Ideas can be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.