BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Nine people have been arrested and 16 victims of human trafficking ranging in age from 8 to 66 years old are rescued after the Kern County Sheriff's Office received reports of suspicious activity in east Bakersfield.
On Friday, December 16, KCSO says they received several reports of a person banging on doors and yelling for help just after midnight in the 8300 block of Cha Cha Court in east Bakersfield. According to deputies, the person, a male, told them he had just escaped from a residence where he was being held against his will along with his wife, child, and 13 other people after being smuggled into the United States from Mexico.
KCSO says that with information supplied by the man, they were able to get a search warrant for a home in the 700 block of Salsa Street, the residence the man had run away from. According to the press release, deputies did not find anyone in the house and determined that all the people had been moved immediately after the first man escaped.
It was at that point that KCSO says they assumed responsibility for the investigation, identifying two additional residences connected to the human trafficking. Deputies executed additional search warrants at a residence in the 600 block of South Haley Street and the 500 block of Sloan Lane as possible places the trafficked people were being held. With these two searches, KCSO says they were able to locate and rescue all the trafficked people.
According to a KCSO press release on the matter, a total of 16 victims, 7 females and 9 males, ranging in age from 8 years to 66 years were rescued. The Kern County District Attorney's Office Victim Services Unit responded in collaboration with the Open Door Network (formerly the Bakersfield Homeless Center) to provide resources.
KCSO reports that as a result of their investigation, 9 suspects have been identified, arrested, and charged with crimes related to human trafficking for labor, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, child endangerment, and criminal conspiracy.
The alleged suspects in this case are:
- Erika Garcia, 32
- Carlos Manuel Cortez, 37
- Yesenia Garcia, 31
- Alexis Medina, 26
- Angel Meza Silva, 25
- Ismael Heredia Medina, 23
- Juan Jose Gonzalez, 30
KCSO reports that two 16-year-old males were also arrested and booked into Kern County Juvenile Hall for kidnapping, false imprisonment, criminal conspiracy, and resisting arrest. All adult suspects were booked into the Kern County Central Receiving Facility.
KCSO says the investigation is ongoing and encourages anyone with any additional information about this case to contact their office at 861-3110 or the Secret Witness tip line at 322-4040.
