KPD Arrest Suspected Human Sex Traffickers, Save Teenage Girl

Published on December 08, 2023

Media Contact:
Officer Tiffany Trombley
Kirkland Police Department
ttrombley@kirklandwa.gov
425-587-3427

Kirkland, WA – What began as a theft investigation led to the rescue of a 16-year-old sex trafficking victim from California and the arrest of two suspects by Kirkland Police Department (KPD).

On Saturday, December 2, KPD patrol officers responded to a theft reported at a gas station in Totem Lake.  During the stop, they saw a suspect vehicle at the nearby Motel 6. KPD had received information from the FBI the day before about a missing California teenager who was believed to be a victim of human sex trafficking and who was believed to be at Motel 6 in Kirkland.  Based on the information from the FBI, the KPD patrol officers investigated the vehicle and saw items that led them to believe that the vehicle may be associated with the missing teenager.

Further investigation led police to a motel room where officers found a 16-year-old girl who was later identified as the missing teenager from California. The officers arrested two suspects and impounded the suspect vehicle.

Child Protective Services responded to care for the girl.

The two men were booked into King County Jail to be charged with multiple crimes including Promoting Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

KPD would like to thank the Seattle FBI Field Office and Child Protective Services for their assistance in this case.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, whether it is a minor or an adult being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.