March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 52 F

Human Trafficking Arrest In Laurel

From a press release just issued by the Anne Arundel County Police Department:

On June 7, 2010, at approximately 7:30 p.m., members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, consisting of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Maryland State Police, recovered a 12-year-old female from a hotel room located at the Knights Inn on Route 198 in the Anne Arundel County section of Laurel.

The juvenile female had been reported missing from Washington, D.C. since May 25, 2010, and she was believed to be involved in prostitution. The Anne Arundel County Police Department received information that the victim was at the aforementioned hotel and responded to that location on the evening of June 7, 2010. Further investigation indicated that the hotel room that the juvenile was recovered from was registered for a one night stay to the suspect, Derwin Samuel Smith, 42, of 10 McGuirk Drive, Apt. A, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The suspect was arrested at approximately 8:00 p.m. at the same location and is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on a $3,000,000 bond.

During a subsequent interview of the juvenile victim, detectives ascertained that she originally met the suspect in the District of Columbia, while working an area known for prostitution. The juvenile stated that the suspect picked her up and drove to an unknown location, where he paid her for sexual intercourse. From there, the suspect began transporting the juvenile back and forth from Washington D.C. to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where she worked for him as a prostitute. The juvenile advised that all of the money made was collected and kept by the suspect. At one point, the victim conveyed to the suspect that she wanted to return home, but he held her against her will. Furthermore, she indicated that she feared the suspect because of his physical size, his age and believing that he was possibly armed.

Derwin Smith
Investigators arrested the suspect in connection with this investigation and charged him with Human Trafficking of a Minor, Human Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Human Trafficking Compensation, Prostitution General, Prostitution Under the Age of 16 and False Imprisonment. The investigation is ongoing.

“Children are among the most vulnerable people in society and it is our duty to protect them from predators,” County Executive John R. Leopold said. “I commend the police department along with other local law enforcement agencies for apprehending this suspect and removing a child from a deplorable situation.”

Anyone with further information to contribute to the case is asked to contact Detective Dan Dickey of the Special Enforcement Section at 410-222-6003.

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