License plate readers lead to arrest of child sex trafficking suspect in Peoria
Child sex trafficking suspect arrested in Arizona
A multi-agency investigation spanning Arizona and California resulted in the rescue of two victims and the arrest of a man for alleged trafficking. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
PHOENIX - Two victims are safe and a suspected child sex trafficker is behind bars following a multi-agency investigation. Court documents detail how detectives tracked him across state lines.
What we know:
32-year-old Donte Lofton is facing child sex trafficking charges. Investigators say they used license plate reader technology to track down the suspect, only to find a second victim.
"First, child sex trafficking transporting, a class 2 felony. And a second count of child sex trafficking intent to traffic, also a class 2 felony," an judge stated during Lofton's appearance in court.
The backstory:
According to court documents, in early September, Peoria Police began investigating a missing 15-year-old girl who disappeared in Peoria. Authorities later got information that led them to believe she was being trafficked.
Phone location tracking pinged her location in Indio, California. With assistance from Indio Police, officers rescued the girl in a high-risk area. She confirmed to police she was being trafficked.
Lofton fled from police in a rental car, but on Sept. 15, Peoria detectives tracked the vehicle to northern Arizona using license plate readers. DPS located Lofton and rescued a second trafficking victim.
"This is just an example of how this saved a 15-year-old," Sgt. Shelly Montes of the Peoria Police Department said. "Not just a 15-year-old juvenile who was being sex trafficked, but when that suspect was stopped by authorities, it was discovered that there was another victim with him so we saved two victims because of the ALPR technology."
Dig deeper:
During Lofton's initial court appearance, the deputy county attorney spoke to his criminal history.
"Mr. Lofton has five prior felony convictions, including two for robbery, one for misconduct involving weapons and one for home invasion," the state attorney said. "Our understanding is that he also has an extraditable warrant from California."
Although the judge advised against it, Lofton chose to speak as well.
"I just want to speak my peace. I have a 12-year-old daughter that I just got joint custody of. I just finished my final application for my VA benefits," Donte Lofton Jr. said. "I have a stable living environment out here. I work at Burger King. I know I have a past, but this is ridiculous."
What we don't know:
Lofton is being held on a $250,000 bond.
"Our concern is that he is a danger to the community given the nature of the charges as well as a possible flight risk," the state attorney added.
It is not known if Lofton can make bond.
"Nobody that I know can afford a quarter of a million dollars," Lofton said. "At all."
What's next:
Peoria Police say additional charges related to similar offenses in California are pending.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from court documents; the Peoria Police Department; the Maricopa County Superior Court initial appearance.