A 32-year-old Oakland man was charged Wednesday with human trafficking of a teenage girl officials believe he picked up from a bible study and exploited as a sex worker out of a Sunnyvale motel, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Patrick Leo Simmons faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the felony charge and five other related charges. He is being held on $1 million bail. He was due in court Friday in Palo Alto.
The victim was identified as a runaway by law enforcement.
“Teenagers who run away from home are in danger of becoming victims of sexual exploitation. These pimps are predators,” prosecutor Carlos Vega said in news release. “The Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force was instrumental in securing the rescue of the victim and the arrest of the defendant.”
Earlier this week, agents from the Human Trafficking Task Force got a tip from the San Jose Police Department that the victim was being advertised for sex on Backpage.com — a website frequently used to post ads for prostitution, according to the district attorney’s office.
Agents arranged for a “date” with the victim and recovered her from the hotel room. The suspect was arrested on foot nearby. He had $6,510 in cash and a key to the victim’s hotel room, officials said.
