A joint undercover sting operation geared toward addressing human trafficking in the Jackson, Tenn. area has resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals on human trafficking charges, one of them from Muscle Shoals.
Beginning August 29, over a two-day period, special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking Unit, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Jackson Tennessee Police Department, the 26th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Office of the 26th Judicial District Attorney General, placed several decoy advertisements on websites that are known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex.
The operation sought to identify individuals looking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors and resulted in 12 felony arrests.
Jabbar Franklin, 31, of Muscle Shoals, has been booked on Trafficking for a Commercial Sex Act and is being held on $25,000 bond.
Per WAAYTV, the other alleged perpetrators are:
Blake Coulspon (DOB 03/25/1994), Jackson – $25,000 bond.
Michal Knepp (DOB 10/29/1980), Jackson – $25,000 bond.
Christopher Virgle (DOB 05/31/1983), Jackson – $25,000 bond.
James Brown (DOB 01/13/1978), Jackson – $5,000 bond.
Rayvione Walker (DOB 12/24/2002), Jackson – $25,000 bond.
Shane Meeks (DOB 07/01/1970), Michie – $25,000 bond.
Tevin Williams (DOB 03/10/2002), Jackson – $25,000 bond.
Angel Felipe (DOB 01/02/1999), Memphis – $25,000 bond.
All individuals were booked in the Madison County Jail. Three additional individuals have been arrested on felony charges, including possession of meth with Intent to sell, deliver, or manufacture, possession of Schedule 1 drugs, and aggravated robbery.
An additional aspect of this operation was to identify potential victims caught in the human trafficking net, and 12 individuals were encountered. All were offered services through a human trafficking victim service organization, despite some having warrants out on them.
More information about human trafficking and TBI's efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at ITHasToStop.com.
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
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