HOUSTON — A 14-year-old girl is now back with her family, after Harris County Constables arrested the man she was with of human trafficking.
Deputies said they’re glad to have Allen Auston off the streets for allegedly luring the girl into prostitution and holding her captive in a motel for a week.
They believe Auston used a Motel 8 in north Houston to pimp out the girl after weeks of grooming her.
Deputies won’t say how she met Auston or how the girl made it here, more than 100 miles away from her small-town home.
Thursday, deputies responded to a medical call of a woman requesting a ride to the hospital, but then became suspicious of her story.
That’s when deputies decided entered Auston’s room and found the girl, a 26-year-old woman and a 2-year-old child who didn’t appear harmed.
The girl attempted to give a false name, but deputies said they could tell she had been groomed to not speak out against her alleged abuser.
“Understand our human trafficking folks deal with this more than a regular deputy would," Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman said. "After they developed a bond and they talked to her, the longer they talked to her, the more they got the truth out of her. I can tell you her parents are very relieved to have her rescued."
The motel owner said deputies were called to the same room, just days earlier for a domestic issue. No arrests were made.
Deputies haven’t said if that’s what motivated them to check the room.
Officers transported the girl to Texas Children’s Hospital for a medical assessment.
Auston was also charged with compelling prostitution of a minor and aggravated promotion of prostitution. Constable Herman said he’s proud to see the charges filed, but even more proud of there being no bond issued for any of the counts.
“We’re just so elated that this guy was no bonded," Herman said. "This guy is locked up where he needs to be where he can’t victimize more folks. Like I said this investigation is ongoing so we’ll see where it takes us."
One of those unknowns at this point is the involvement of the older woman who was also uncooperative. Deputies said she may have been involved in grooming the teen, so more charges could be possible.
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