4 human trafficking victims from Texas rescued in Ohio, 2 Texas men arrested
Timarrea Granderson, Larry Hill (Source: Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost)
HOUSTON - Two men from Texas have been arrested in Ohio after being accused of human trafficking, according to the Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
The two men are accused of traveling to central Ohio with four victims who are also from Texas. One victim was a juvenile.
4 human trafficking victims rescued
What we know:
On March 13, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was contacted by the FBI’s Houston office and the Texas Department of Public Safety about the juvenile victim, who was believed to be in Columbus. The task force, along with the Columbus Division of Police’s PACT Unit, began working to find the missing juvenile.
That evening, Timarrea Granderson, 27, of Cyprus, Texas, was taken into custody by law enforcement. One of the four victims was with Granderson when he was arrested.
According to Ohio officials, Larry Hill, 26, of Houston, was taken into custody later that evening after he barricaded himself inside a Columbus residence on West Kanawha Avenue.
Officials say two more of the trafficking victims were found where Hill was barricaded. The Columbus Police Division’s SWAT team and the Sharon Township Police Department aided in the arrest and rescue.
The fourth victim was rescued at another location.
The victims are being provided services by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.
What's next:
Granderson and Hill were arrested and will face charges in Texas, including trafficking of a person and compelling prostitution of a minor. The men are awaiting extradition to Texas.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.