Image Credit: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI)
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of seven men after an undercover operation targeting human trafficking in Middle Tennessee.
The two-day operation was a joint effort between several organizations. The TBI Human Trafficking Unit and Human Trafficking Task Force worked in conjunction with the Cookeville Police Department, Homeland Security, and the office of District Attorney Bryant Dunaway.
Their goal was to seek out individuals who were looking to pay for illicit sex from minors and to recover possible victims of human trafficking.
The operation involved the placing of decoy advertisements on several websites with known connections to commercial sex cases and prostitution.
The charges brought against the seven men all stem from their response to that online sex ad.
Those arrested include:
- Michael Blair (DOB 8/5/1953), Sparta: Patronizing Prostitution of a Minor
- Daniel Dubree (DOB 1/6/1980), Cookeville: Trafficking For A Commercial Sex Act
- Christopher Garcia-Perez (DOB 1/1/2003), Washington, NC: Patronizing Prostitution Of A Minor
- Steven Howard (DOB 4/2/1963), Cookeville: Trafficking For A Commercial Sex Act
- Jonathan McDonald (DOB 12/2/1983), Sparta: Trafficking For A Commercial Sex Act
- David McGee (DOB 6/2/1995), Cookeville: Trafficking For A Commercial Sex Act
- Eric Trobaugh (DOB 9/23/1987), Celina: Patronizing Prostitution Of A Minor, Soliciting Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor
The operation also garnered the support of Grow Free/Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Willowbrook Farms. Both organizations provide services for survivors of human trafficking.
Tennessee Department of Health Division of Family Health and Wellness Assistant Commissioner Dr. Tobi Amosun says the pandemic has brought about an increase in sex trafficking in Tennessee.
***Click HERE to support Conservative Journalism in Tennessee. We can’t cover stories like this without your support!***
“Human trafficking does occur in every city in Tennessee; every zip code,” Amosun said.
Amosun attributes this increase to several factors.
“People were more isolated than ever, and so this could go on in a hidden undetected way,” she stated.
Amosun continued, “People lost their jobs and there’s financial vulnerability and so the ability to exploit someone’s poverty. And then, substance abuse went up during the stress of the pandemic, and so the ability to, again, exploit someone’s drug addiction. Trafficking just escalated in all of those situations.”
The fight against human trafficking continues to be an area of focus for Tennessee lawmakers. This year, Governor Bill Lee has allocated $5 million to a number of groups working to combat sex trafficking. Advocates say this funding will help bring about a positive change in the way sexually exploited individuals are cared for.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
