Police: More victims possible after 3 arrested in human trafficking case

Houston Police say they are investigating the possibility of more suspects and victims in a human trafficking case that resulted in three arrests. Police say the traffickers held a 20-year-old woman captive for three weeks, forcing her into prostitution.

Police charged Kevin Winston, 25, Martina Chambers, 20, and Mikia Collins, 19, in the trafficking case.

The suspects took the woman’s phone and I.D., assaulted her, and forced her into prostitution, pocketing the money she made, according to court documents.

The prostitution occurred over nearly three weeks’ time after the woman was reported missing December 27, according to police.

Fort Worth Police had issued a missing person report for this woman, but the woman was later identified in a traffic stop, and the missing person report was removed, Houston Police said in a press conference Wednesday. The officer who stopped the car didn’t realize at the time that she was being trafficked, police said.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week, and the woman’s mom received a frantic call for help. Her daughter’s phone call was cut short, but from that call, police got enough information to search and find an advertisement with photos of the victim in revealing clothing, police said.

Detectives responded to the advertisement, inviting the woman to a hotel room, according to statement read to the suspects in court. 

The statement goes on to say: “On arrival the female agreed to perform sex acts for an under-cover officer for an exchange of money. Officers then revealed their identities at which time the complainant began crying and thanking the offices for rescuing her from several people forcing her to commit prostitution.”

Police say the woman then described the car the suspects were driving when they dropped her off at the hotel. Police were able to track that car down and arrest the three suspects.

Police say they had to work quickly in the arrests because the suspects had planned to take their victim to New York this week. Police say Winston is from New York originally, his nick name is “New York,” and he may have been planning to sell his victim to another trafficker there.

Winston and Chambers are charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution, compelling prostitution, and trafficking of a person. Collins is charged with compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person.

Bond was set Wednesday night at $100,000 for Winston, $70,000 for Chambers, and $40,000 for Collins.