A 17-year-old woman was capable of save herself from being trafficked by texting 911.
{The teenager}, who authorities stated was a sufferer of human trafficking, started texting the emergency quantity with “pleas for assist” round 3 a.m. on Might 9, in keeping with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Workplace.
The texts had been routed to the Sheriff Workplace’s communication heart, the place employees started translating the messages from Spanish.
In a information launch, the division stated {the teenager} started texting landmarks and different “identifiable data” she was seeing, which helped the company rapidly dispatch deputies to the proper space. {The teenager} was situated in Casitas Springs.
Investigators stated they believed the sufferer was trafficked to Ventura County roughly two months in the past from Mexico. She has been positioned with the county’s Youngsters & Household Providers till authorities can find her household, in keeping with the discharge.
The division arrested Gerardo Cruz, 31, a local of Veracruz, Mexico. His bail is ready at half one million {dollars}.
Ventura County started permitting individuals to achieve 911 dispatchers through textual content in 2021.
The change was meant to make emergency dispatch companies extra accessible to individuals with speech impairments or individuals in emergency conditions who can’t make cellphone calls, similar to victims of home abuse, the Ventura County Star reported on the time.
