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DPS rescues 16-year-old sex trafficking victim in I-10 traffic stop, arrests 3

Posted at 11:48 AM, Jun 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-10 20:21:27-04

An Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper rescued a 16-year-old girl from a possible sex-trafficking ring during a traffic stop Wednesday near Benson. 

According to a spokesman with the department, a canine trooper assigned to the Border Strike Force stopped a vehicle on I-10 for a traffic violation. 

During the stop, the trooper noticed indicators of criminal activity and later learned that a 16-year-old girl in the car was a runaway from California and possibly a victim of sex-trafficking crimes. 

The three other adults in car were arrested and booked into the Cochise County Jail on violations of both state and federal statutes related to sex trafficking and trafficking of a minor. The three adults are Derrek Terry, Dana Glenn and Dara Morris. 

According to DPS, the 16-year-old girl was reunited with her family in California. 

To date in 2016, DPS troopers have helped seven girls who were believed to have been trafficked or were at risk of being trafficked, according to a press release.