Sex-Trafficking Industry Continues To Plague Sacramento
[Editor's note: A previous version of this story cited a statistic listing Sacramento as number 2 in the country for incidents of sex trafficking. As that statistic could not be independently confirmed, the statistic has been removed.]
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — CBS13's Ron Jones recently spoke with a woman caught in the vicious cycle of sex trafficking.
One young woman didn't want to show her face, but was very eager to talk about her role in Sacramento's sex-trafficking industry. She was one of a half-dozen women, some who looked like underage girls, walking Watt Avenue. She says she doesn't have a pimp.
"I don't know, I like it actually," she said when asked why she would get involved, saying she doesn't see a way out of it.
She was a former foster kid from a broken home. When she turned 18, she turned to the streets. She's now 25.
We were investigating the arrest of 21-year-old Dreyshawn Augustus, who deputies say allegedly pimped an underage teen and raped her. He's accused of holding her captive for hours before she escaped and called home.
Many businesses on Watt Avenue get a front-row seat to the epidemic. Chrystal Gray says the ladies often stop in local coffee shops and share their stories.
"The girls right now are from Colorado, and they'll move them out again and bring another shipment in," she said.
Several Sacramento businesses took steps to combat the problem by using placemats with information about human trafficking and how to help a person that looks like they are in trouble.
Similar measures are taking place in New Jersey in advance of Sunday's Super Bowl. The event has been a magnet for sex trafficking, and the state is helping emergency responders learn how to identify possible victims.
