The Arkansas State Police announced today that they have recovered a 15-year-old girl from a south Little Rock motel where they say she was being held against her will and sexually exploited. State Troopers and civilian investigators with the State Police Crimes Against Children Division also reportedly recovered two children, aged two and three, from the motel room.
A release from the ASP said that the State Police Crimes Against Children Division located the unnamed 15-year-old runaway as part of “a larger human trafficking investigation.” They arrested Amber Johnson, 28, of North Little Rock on April 29 in connection with the case. Charges against Johnson have not been disclosed. Officers with the State Police Highway Patrol Division, Criminal Investigation Division and Crimes Against Children Division are reportedly working with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office relating to the arrest.
“The credit goes to the State Troopers who initially had little to work with; only allegations of a runaway child somewhere in Arkansas being held against her will at an unknown location,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Arkansas State Police Director. “The troopers reached out to others in this department who possess specialized training and together they devoted themselves to rescue a child lost in the vicious world of human traffickers.”