HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. - More human trafficking arrests have been made about 100-miles southeast of Murfreesboro in the Chattanooga area. The arrests were made during a joint undercover operation by special agents with TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit, with the assistance of the Bureau’s Criminal Investigation and Drug Investigation Divisions, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the 11th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office has resulted in three arrests.
On October 2nd and 3rd, investigators conducted an operation aimed at addressing human trafficking in the Chattanooga area. The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in sex acts with minors. As a result, three individuals were arrested and booked into the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center.
* 31-Year-old Dakota Neetz (DOB 08/02/1995), Chattanooga: Charged with one count of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, two counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and one count of Solicitation of a Minor, $250,000 bond.
* 22-Year-old Fidel Navarro Lopez (DOB 06/15/2004), Guatemala: Charged with one count of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, two counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, one count of Solicitation of a Minor, one count of Resisting Stop, Frisk, Halt, or Search, and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, $210,000 bond.
* 26-Year-old Tommy Reed (DOB 05/28/2000), Chattanooga: Charged with one count of Promoting Prostitution, $2,500 bond.
Additionally, seven individuals were identified as possible victims and accepted services through two local human trafficking victim service organizations, WillowBend Farms and Street Grace.
- Previous arrests tied to human trafficking in East Tennessee area HERE.
Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
