OAKLAND — A Sacramento County man has been arrested and charged with human trafficking in a case that started when a 16-year-old girl solicited an undercover cop in a high prostitution area, court records show.
Deondre Smith-King, 29, has now been charged with human trafficking of a minor and two counts of pimping, all felonies. The case covers a three-month span, because of a delay that allowed Smith-King to further victimize the girl, according to court records.
Undercover cops detained the girl in a prostitution sting back in August, seizing her phone and ultimately finding evidence that she was transferring prostitution proceeds to Smith-King, according to court records. But Smith-King was not charged until earlier this month, and during the interim period, he was able to make contact with the girl, take her back to Oakland and traffic her further, authorities said.
During a police interview after his arrest this month, Smith-King allegedly admitted to knowing the girl’s true age and that the two had rented a hotel room in Oakland together. That correlates with what police observed during a surveillance operation, according to court records.
Police did a surveillance operation on Oct. 29, observing Smith-King and the girl entering a hotel room together. But he was not arrested and charged for another two weeks, on Nov. 12, and authorities haven’t explained what caused this second delay.
Smith-King is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, in lieu of $355,000 bail.
Oakland police have ramped up undercover efforts on International Boulevard and other areas known for prostitution, in response to violence involving sex workers, clientele, or suspected human traffickers.
