RADFORD, Va. – A Florida man will stay behind bars for allegedly sex trafficking a woman in the New River Valley.
Frank Smith, 26, is charged with sex trafficking to receive money and resisting arrest. He appeared in Radford General District Court by video Thursday, where his attorney withdrew his request for bond.
10 News tracked down search warrants that reveal a special agent with the Virginia State Police Human Trafficking Unit responded to an online ad for illicit sex.
The agent, pretending to be a client, agreed to meet at the Super 8 by Wyndham hotel on Tyler Ave. in Radford on Oct. 8 and pay $150.
When he got there, he found a woman in a hotel room, cash in a nightstand, an opened condom in a bathroom trashcan, and a cell phone belonging to Smith. The documents show that the agent determined the woman was a victim of human trafficking.
The agent also learned that Smith would facilitate her dates, make advertisements and receive payment for her illegal sexual acts.
“One of the more insidious factors of human trafficking is that it can happen anywhere, anytime,” said Justin Cowan, the assistant special agent in charge for human trafficking with Virginia State Police.
Cowan said he couldn’t comment on this specific case, but says anyone can be a victim of human trafficking. He added that the issue is pervasive and it’s often underreported. So far this year, Cowan said there have been 14 tips from Southwest Virginia to VSP’s human trafficking hotline.
“When you look at the mobility factor that Interstate-81 plays, really the transit system as a whole, human traffickers are moving what they consider to be a product from location to location,” said Cowan.
“We know Southwest Virginia to be rural and communities spread across vast areas of land,” he added. “However, there are population centers very close to Southwest Virginia that still create that draw for the illicit sex and then the illicit labor.”
Smith will stay in custody at the New River Valley Regional Jail until his next court appearance in December. The court records can be found below:
If you are a victim of human trafficking, suspect someone is a victim, or have information about a trafficking situation:
- Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.
- Text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733.
- Chat the National Human Trafficking Hotline at humantraffickinghotline.org/chat.
- Contact Virginia State Police by Texting: 847411. Send a message to that number by typing “VSP” followed by the tip. If the information you possess concerns a person (or yourself) in imminent danger, contact 911 or #77 to report that information.
- Submit a tip to VSP online at https://vsp.virginia.gov/human-trafficking/