BATON ROUGE, La. (KFSM) — Two people, one a 16-year-old girl, have been rescued from a sex trafficking operation, according to court documents.
Aaron Hayes of Barling is facing felony trafficking juveniles for sex purposes, a drug charge and possession of a firearm, which was reportedly stolen.
Malcolm Ford is facing charges as a “co-defendant” in the matter. The two are also facing several felony charges out of Arkansas.
The two are accused of trafficking on the dark web through a site known as backpage.com
Hayes and Ford were arrested at a Baton Rouge motel about 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 21) where they were allegedly prostituting the 16-year-old girl. Police in Arkansas tracked the three to Louisiana and let Louisiana police know about what allegedly was going on, 5NEWS CBS affiliate WBRZ reports.
Hayes and Ford allegedly took the girl from Arkansas to Houston. While driving to Louisiana from Houston, they reportedly picked up a woman, whom police have yet to release information about, to prostitute along with the 16-year-old.
WBRZ also reports that police think the two beat the 16-year-old for “not making enough money”. Police said she had been pistol-whipped, and had bruises on her face and arms.
Hayes was convicted of residential burglary in Fort Smith during 2016, according to court documents.
