Pittsburg man charged with leading multi-state human trafficking ring – By Nate Gartrell (eastbaytimes.com) / May 16 2018
MARTINEZ — A 32-year-old man who’d been on the lam for months is in custody facing numerous felony charges, including human trafficking and kidnapping.
The arrest of Hilario Martinez followed a three-month Pittsburg police investigation, and another seven months of searching for Martinez, until he was arrested May 2 following a police chase. During the course of the investigation, police identified five human trafficking victims, including one who was less than 16 at the time, authorities said.
“(Martinez) was able to elude capture for some time,” Pittsburg police Cpt. Steve Albanese said in a news release.
The charges against Martinez include kidnapping, pimping, assault, robbery, lewd act upon a child, and three counts of human trafficking. Under state law, human trafficking is defined as forcing an adult to prostitute or soliciting a minor for sex, while pimping is defined as soliciting a prostitute who agrees to it.
Detectives reportedly followed Martinez’s social media activity, and determined that he had taken the women — all referred to as “Jane Doe” in court records to Southern California, Nevada, and throughout the Bay Area. The charged offenses cover a nearly two-year span beginning in October 2016.
“The Pittsburg Police Department is working with allied agencies and other community resources to assist all victims of human trafficking,” Albanese said, adding that anyone with information on suspected human trafficking can call Pittsburg Police Department Tip-Line at 925-252-4040 or Dispatch at 925-646-2441. Potential signs of human trafficking can be found here.
