Vallejo police have successfully carried out the rescue of a high-risk juvenile and the arrest of a suspect in a human trafficking case. On Monday, the Vallejo Police Department was alerted to a situation involving a juvenile being held and sexually exploited at a hotel on the 400 block of Fairgrounds Drive.
Officers were able to quickly locate the juvenile at the business, taking immediate steps to ensure their safety and begin to unravel the background of their presence in Vallejo. A records confirmation revealed that the juvenile had been missing from Riverside County and was in danger of sexual exploitation. The police were able to quickly identify a man standing outside the associated hotel room as Justen Allen Powell, age 26, from Fresno, who has a past conviction for assault with a deadly weapon involving a firearm.
According to the Vallejo Police Department, interviews and evidence collected on the scene painted a harrowing picture of the juvenile being transported across various locations and subjected to repeated sexual assaults and intimidation.
Following the intervention, the juvenile was taken into protective custody by Vallejo patrol officers and transported to receive medical attention and a sexual assault response evaluation. Solano County Child Protective Services took custody of the juvenile to ensure their recovery and reintegration were handled carefully. Meanwhile, Powell was arrested and is now facing multiple felony charges, including pimping and pandering, corporal injury to a child, false imprisonment with violence, kidnapping, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
Chief of Police Jason Ta provided a statement on the significance of the arrest, per the Vallejo Police Department, "Human trafficking is a serious crime that affects communities throughout our region, and Vallejo is not immune. In this case, our patrol officers acted immediately to ensure the victim's safety, connect them with medical care and support services, while taking the suspect into custody." He affirmed the department's commitment to rigorous enforcement and partnership with other agencies in combating such exploitation.
The Vallejo Police Department has urged anyone with information related to this case or other suspected incidents of human trafficking in Vallejo to contact them. Calls can be made to 911, the Vallejo Police Department Communications Division at (707) 552-3285, or tips can be left anonymously at the Vallejo Police Department tip line at 1-800-488-9383.
