A Pontiac man has been charged with seven felonies in a case of alleged human trafficking that spanned at least a year, as reported by multiple local news sources. Trevor Andrew Scarbrough, 33, was arrested last Thursday following a tip to law enforcement, according to information from CBS News Detroit.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office and the Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force, upon receiving the tip, executed a search warrant at Scarbrough's residence on Bingham in Pontiac. The Detroit News stated that the suspect is currently being held on a $1 million bond. If convicted, Scarbrough faces the possibility of up to 20 years in prison on some of the charges. "It is very sad how prevalent the horrific degrading and trafficking of other people is in today's world," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard was quoted by ClickOnDetroit.
Scarbrough is facing multiple charges: accepting earnings from prostitution, using a computer to commit a crime, human trafficking enterprise resulting in commercial sexual activity, sodomy, manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance, a felony firearm charge, and keeping a house of prostitution. The gravest among these are the prostitution and computer-related charges, both pegged as 20-year felonies. Additionally, the human trafficking and sodomy charges each carry a penalty of up to 15 years.
Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard underscored the disturbing nature of the crimes, stating "this twisted suspect forced his victim into sexual act with an animal in addition to trafficking her," as per Detroit News. Detectives have reason to believe that there may be additional victims, and they encourage those who suspect they might be victims to reach out to the Sheriff's Office at 248-858-4950, or to their local police department. Scarbrough, if he posts bond, is required to wear a GPS tether. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 20, according to announcements from local law enforcement.
