JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Eight people have been arrested in a joint human trafficking investigation involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Johnson City Police Department.
TBI says the men arrested are accused of seeking illicit sex from minors.
The two-day undercover investigation involved the placement of decoy advertisements on websites linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.
The following eight suspects were arrested:
- Todd Prewitt, DOB 09/18/1973, Chuckey, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Joseph Cunningham, DOB 03/14/1998, Bluff City, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Stephen Ezeagu, DOB 07/06/1990, Johnson City, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Malik Howse, DOB 04/25/1997, Johnson City, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Ronald Casdorph, DOB 09/11/1967, Johnson City, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act (2 counts)
- John Hutchison, DOB 07/01/1954, Bristol, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Jared Curtis, DOB 10/28/1994, Piney Flats, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
- Joseph Harless, DOB 04/03/2000, Johnson City, TN: Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
TBI says the investigation also focused on identifying potential victims of human trafficking. As a result, four adult women were also cited and offered services such as housing and counseling.
