Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's deputies have arrested a seventh person in connection with the trafficking of a 14-year-old girl for sex.
The most recent arrest happened last week in Houston, when Mayur Patel, 39, was arrested. He's accused of bringing the girl to a hotel he managed in Lake Charles, where she was being held.
The investigation began on March 21, when deputies were called to the hotel on North Martin Luther King Highway with a tip about a teen who was a runaway. When detectives found the girl, she told them she was a victim of sex trafficing since January. She said she'd been beaten and forced to have sex with numerous men.
Detectives arrested Mariah Miller, 24, of Iowa; Kaleb Citizen, 21, of Lake Charles; and Darius Landry, 28 of Lake Charles during the initial investigation. Miller was booked with human trafficking. Citizen was booked with human trafficking, first-degree rape and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Landry was booked with trafficking of juveniles for sex purposes.
The investigation continued, and four men were identified as allegedly participating: Antonio Tompkins, 2; Jason Bryant, 19; Tyler Lawson, 26, and Kelly Johnson Jr., 27; all of Lake Charles. Tompkins, Bryant and Lawson were booked with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Johnson was booked with first-degree rape.
During further investigation detectives learned of Patel, who allegedly was responsible for trafficking the victim for sex at the motel where she was found; a motel which Patel managed. He was arrested in Houston and extradited back to Calcasieu Parish, where he was booked with human trafficking and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
The investigation is continuing and more arrests and charges are possible.
CPSO Detectives Seth Abshire and Michael G. Miller are the lead investigators on this case.
