A Texas man remains in the Bexar County Jail on charges of human trafficking of a child and sexual assault on a child for forcing a 15-year-old girl into prostitution.
The arrest of Henry Reyna, 38, came last week, after police officers observed unusual behavior at a motel. Two men had left a room, looking nervous and carrying duffel bags. They then walked to a next-door McDonalds, according to the report in the San Antonio Express News.
The officers then noticed two women leave the same room, enter a second room, and emerge soon afterwards.
The officers talked with the young women, who said they were being forced into prostitution by Mr. Reyna and others, and directed the officers to a motel room, where they found Reyna, and the 15-year-old female.
He was placed under arrest and told the officers that he had met the young lady earlier in January, and recruited her by promising that she would make “lots of money,” the San Antonio news outlet reported. Police reported that he supplied her with both condoms and methamphetamine. He told police he obtained customers for her through ads he had posted on Backpage.Com. Reyna told the officers that he handled the “promotion” of the girl on social media, because she was too young to do it herself.
He reportedly told the officers that he had sex with the underage girl at least four times. When officers interviewed her, she confirmed the molestation.
San Antonio Police Public Affairs Officer Sandra Pickell, told News4/WOAI TV “It is a child and sometimes people are willing to come forward, even if that means disclosing their participation in another crime that is occurring, but for the sake of saving a child.”
Reyna has been charged with sexual assault on a child and human trafficking of a child. He was booked into the Bexar County jail where he remains under $175,000 bond.
During the 2015 session of the Texas Legislature, State Representative Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) authored HB10 which eventually passed and became law, Breitbart Texas reported. The omnibus anti-human trafficking bill amended several existing Texas laws and made it easier to prosecute crimes like human trafficking and forced prostitution. It also was written to specifically address child trafficking crimes and provides additional assistance for child victims.
One tool in the new law enables authorities to compel testimony from people involved in the crime in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
In June, Breitbart Texas’ Lana Shadwick reported from Houston when Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB10 into law. The governor said the bill “toughens and helps Texas crackdown even more on the horrific crime of human trafficking.”
Rob Milford is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. You can follow him on Facebook.
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