GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) (2/18/2020) – A Flint man has been arrested for the human trafficking of a young teen in Genesee County.
Sheriff Chris Swanson said the victim had been calling the suspect, 26-year-old Shawn Randle, her boyfriend. He allegedly had been sexually abusing the girl for months.
The Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, or GHOST, has been investigating this case for the last two weeks using dating and social media apps before arresting Randle on human trafficking charges.
“A 26-year-old that is trafficking a young teen is the true definition of human trafficking,” Swanson said. “There were thousands of images that that individual had that were images of underage females — specifically the victim.”
Swanson said Randle used apps to arrange dates for sex with the girl, which is how police caught him. Investigators used those same apps to make contact with Randle and rescue the teen on Feb. 7.
Investigators tracked down and arrested Randle. He is facing five charges, including human trafficking of a minor and child sexual abusive activity. Both of those felony charges carry up to 20 years in prison.
Swanson said the GHOST team quickly acts on tips about children being victimized to find them and remove them from the situation.
“You’re not going to be able to stop the access, but what we can stop is people exploiting kids and young people like this case,” he said.
Randle remained in the Genesee County Jail after arraignment on $300,000 bond.
