Summary:
- The incident took place on February 23.
- A 16-year-old was the victim in the case.
- The employee noticed the individuals and reported them.
Employees of casinos like River City are trained on many tasks, including how to spot potential sex trafficking.
Training is provided in this manner due to the hotels connected to gaming venues and the uptick in sex trafficking cases in the US.
In Missouri, an employee of the River City Casino was able to stop traffickers after noticing their behavior and contacting the police.
Details on the Incident
The trafficking incident took place in February, with law enforcement notified on the 23rd. Angel Henderson was arrested and charged with allegedly selling a 16-year-old for sex at the casino.
Two people are accused of recruiting and keeping the individual and then transporting the victim to the casino to conduct sexual acts for men. Mack Mitchell is the second defendant who remains at large. The court documents in the case reveal that the women are most likely involved in another case, and an ongoing investigation is taking place.
Both have been charged with second-degree sex trafficking of a child under 18. Bonds were set for $300,000 with cash-only payments. Henderson will be back in court next week for a bond reduction hearing.
The Casino Comments
Yesterday, officials of River City Casino commented that the staff at the venue undergo extensive human trafficking training. The program outlines the prevalence of sex trafficking and teaches employees to look for signs. Employees can then be able to detect if an incident is taking place onsite and report it to police.
A frontline member of the team was able to alert the security team, and then local police were involved. Traffickers are known to start their search for victims online and then move to face-to-face meetings. Police departments and other groups work together to try and catch the perps in the act to stop such behavior from taking place and save the children involved.
Crisis Aid International is a local group in St. Louis County that works with police regarding trafficking cases. Programs and resources are available for those connected to such crimes and parents who want to avoid an incident with online monitoring of their child’s activity.
Casinos are Prime Targets
Casino venues are prime targets for sex traffickers as they provide money, overnight stays, and a pool of people to pick from. It is not uncommon for criminals to use casinos for nefarious activity, and more operators are starting to train their staff to ensure that any attempt at sex trafficking or other activity will be thwarted.
Visitors to casinos should also be aware. If you see any suspicious behavior, be sure to alert security, who can investigate and get police involved if needed.
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