Dallas man arrested in sex trafficking of 17-year-old girl in Arlington, police say
A 28-year-old Dallas man was arrested Monday in Arlington on charges of sex trafficking a 17-year old girl, Arlington police say.
The man, Brandon Bowles, was arrested at a hotel near State Highway 360 and Lamar Boulevard, said Jesse Minton, an Arlington Police Department public information officer.
Officers and detectives tracked him down after finding an advertisement on a website used for commercial sex and prostitution ads, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. A detective on the case contacted a phone number on the advertisement and was set to meet with the 17-year-old.
After arranging a time to meet with the detective, officers surveilled the hotel and found Bowles and the girl sitting on a bench outside the hotel, according to the affidavit. They entered the room a few minutes before the detective arrived.
Officers approached the hotel room and when Bowles opened the door, he was detained while the girl was in the room, according to the affidavit. When the 17-year-old was interviewed, she initially told officers that she had no knowledge of the advertisements and denied the prostitution, but she then said she was involved because she needed a place to stay since she couldn’t work.
Bowles denied involvement or knowledge of the advertisements or prostitution. He said the room was rented by his brother and denied consent to search the room. Officers then received a search warrant.
A Samsung cellphone was retrieved that is believed to have child pornography and files related to Bowles’ charge stored on it, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the 17-year-old has been living in hotel rooms with Bowles. The Dallas man doesn’t work and the girl pays for rooms through prostitution, the affidavit says.
Officials also noted that advertisements for the girl date back to April 16 and were based in the Metroplex.
Minton said it’s too early to know if this incident is part of a larger organization.
Bowles is currently being held at Tarrant County Lon Evans Correction Center. His bond is set at $25,000.
