Rowan County detectives identify man arrested in Salisbury human trafficking investigation, officials say
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office has identified the man responsible for trafficking a missing 16-year-old girl from Charlotte.
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On Wednesday, March 13, detectives with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office rescued a missing 16-year-old while conducting an undercover human trafficking investigation in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Detectives said they responded to online advertisements for escort services in Rowan County, and the missing minor was the first to answer and agree to a deal for prostitution services.
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During an interview with the victim, detectives said they discovered she was sent to Salisbury from Charlotte by a rideshare service, which was paid for and arranged by the suspect, Kadeem Williams.
The victim was entered into the missing-persons national database by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and met Williams on the streets of Charlotte after going missing, according to Rowan County detectives.
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Williams groomed and manipulated the minor — offering her food, shelter, and a phone. The escort services he was arranging operated out of a hotel in Charlotte where the victim was kept.
Rowan County detectives took the 16-year-old victim to the Terrie Hess House Child Advocacy Center in Salisbury to speak with a forensic interviewer, where they learned enough information to arrest Williams for felony promoting prostitution of a minor.
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Detectives said they also learned of incidents when Williams was physically abusive with the victim, choking her during an assault. She was transported to Levine Children's Hospital and admitted for treatment.
Rowan County detectives partnered with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's (CMPD) Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Unit to locate and arrest Williams. CMPD also obtained arrest warrants charging him with felony assault by strangulation and assault on a female.
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Officials say they discovered Williams was on parole for robbery with a dangerous weapon and under GPS monitoring by an ankle bracelet. Realizing he was still at the hotel in Charlotte, officers with both the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and CMPD responded and arrested him.
Williams remains in the Rowan County jail in Salisbury and is held under a $250,000 bond.
This is a wide-scale operation that is still being investigated in Rowan County.
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