A Las Vegas man is headed to state prison for 18 years after an Orange County jury found him guilty of human trafficking and a stack of weapons and pandering felonies for exploiting a 17-year-old girl in Anaheim. Prosecutors said he kept control of the teen during commercial sex through violence and a gun, and jurors signed off on enhancements for his personal use of the firearm. Police ultimately found the victim after responding to a call at a motel on the 700 block of S. Beach Boulevard.
Motel rescue and arrest
Anaheim police were called around 9:15 p.m. on May 30 about a suspected underage prostitute at a motel on the 700 block of S. Beach Boulevard. Officers recovered the 17-year-old and kicked off a human trafficking investigation. About two hours later, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force tracked down and arrested 47-year-old Donald Leonidas Newton III in Stanton. A search warrant at the motel room turned up a loaded gun, according to a release from the City of Anaheim.
Conviction and 18-year sentence
Jurors convicted Newton of human trafficking of a minor, pimping a minor over 16 and pandering with a minor older than 16. They also found true sentencing enhancements for his personal use of a firearm. The 18-year sentence followed testimony that Newton pointed a gun at the victim’s head, and prosecutors told the court he also tried to pistol-whip her and subjected her to other “discipline,” details that helped drive the length of the term, according to MyNewsLA.
Charges and statutes
Prosecutors filed charges under California laws covering pimping and pandering with a minor and human trafficking (PC 266h(b)(1), PC 266i(a)/(b)(1), PC 236.1(c)). The case later expanded to include counts for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. The city’s announcement also noted that the Orange County District Attorney’s HEAT Unit led the prosecution alongside the regional task force, according to the City of Anaheim.
Defense and evidence
Newton’s attorney, Vu Tran, told the court the teen had already been involved in commercial sex work for years before she met Newton and claimed she lied about her age. The defense asked the judge to limit the sentence to five years. Prosecutors responded that the victim completed at least one commercial sex date in Pomona for $40, that Newton “disciplined” her in Pomona and that he had taken earlier earnings from her, according to court records cited by MyNewsLA.
Task-force work and help for victims
Officials said the case underscores the coordinated work of local police and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. Newton’s arrest was first reported last year in coverage of a Las Vegas suspect cuffed in an Anaheim motel trafficking operation. For confidential help or to share tips, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which is operated by Polaris, can be reached at 1-888-373-7888, or by texting BEFREE to 233733, according to Polaris.
