BATON ROUGE, La. (KTHV) - The Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) arrested two men in relation to the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl, all three Ark. natives.
The men are Aaron Roshawn Hayes of Barling, Ark. and William D. Ford of Little Rock, Ark..
On Thursday, Dec. 21 at approximately 2 p.m., a detective with the Fayetteville Police Department informed the BRPD that there was a 16-year-old female in their area who may be involved in prostitution. The detective also informed them that she may be riding in a white Dodge Dart.
He then provided a screenshot of an advertisement on Backpage, a well-known website used for prostitution, that was posted at 12:04 p.m. the same day which contained a picture of the girl. BRPD assigned the case to narcotics officers who then attempted to set a date with the teenager using the Backpage ad.
While patrolling the 11140 Boardwalk area, undercover officers noticed a white Dodge Dart with Ark. plates in the parking lot. Shortly thereafter, officers saw the vehicle leave the motel and chose to follow.
The vehicle got into a minor car accident in a nearby gas station parking lot.
The officers then made contact with Hayes, Ford, and an unidentified female witness in relation to the wreck and the sex crimes investigation. Hayes was removed from the drivers seat by an assistant detective and placed in handcuffs. While cuffing him, they found he was clutching about one gram of synthetic marijuana in his right hand.
The detectives then noticed a Taurus 9mm pistol laying in plain view on the floor board. The firearm was later found to be reported stolen from Monroe, La..
Later, they were able to contact the 16-year-old victim in one of the motel rooms and take her into custody.
All parties were then transported to the Baton Rouge Police Headquarters for questioning.
Upon questioning, Hayes revealed he knew the teenage victim from Ark. and had driven her to Houston to go visit his little brother in a car owned by the mother of his child. They then went to Baton Rouge, rented a room and began posting ads on Backpage for the 16-year-old and the unidentified female witness whom they had picked up along the way.
The unidentified female witness stated that she had been picked up three days ago by Hayes, Ford, and the 16-year-old victim. They asked her if she wanted to make money and she agreed to go with them. She stated that, at one point, she saw Hayes strike the teen in the head with the gun because she hadn't made any money for him.
The 16-year-old was observed to have injuries including a knot above her left eye and multiple bruises on her arm.
Ford was found to be wanted in Indianapolis, Minn. by the Hennepin County Sheriff's office.
Hayes was found to have been convicted of burglary in 2016 in Fort Smith, Ark..
Both Ford and Hayes were transported and booked into the E.B.R. Parish Prison.
