by Emily West, Franklin Home Page
This weekend, both the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin Police Department helped in recovering a missing Texas child after a Nashville man allegedly trafficked the 12-year-old for sex.
On Friday evening, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received information from the U.S. Marshals Service about the possible whereabouts of the child reported missing a month ago, according to a press release.
After developing more specific information about the child’s whereabouts in the Nashville area, the U.S. Marshals, TBI, WCSO and the FPD found the girl being held against her will in the overnight hours at a Franklin Extended Stay hotel.
On Saturday, a TBI special agent arrested Tavarie Anthony Williams, 36. Authorities charged him with two counts of trafficking for a commercial sex act, which is a Class A felony.
The release said the investigation revealed Williams enticed the girl in San Antonio, Texas, by offering her a ride home, only to bring her to Tennessee, where he is accused of trafficking the child for the purposes of commercial sex.
Authorities booked him into the Williamson County Jail on $150,000 bond. The investigation remains active and ongoing with the potential for additional charges.
The child is currently receiving care in state custody and will soon be transported home to Texas.
More information about the issue of human trafficking, along with Tennessee’s efforts to hold traffickers accountable and empower the public to recognize the warning signs, can be found online at http://www.ITHasToStop.com.
