LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Three people have been arrested in connection with a human trafficking case involving an underage female victim who was taken to New York, according to the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation began when family members reported the underage victim missing to Laurel County Sheriff's investigators. During the investigation, authorities determined the victim was in New York with a 42-year-old male.
A release from the sheriff's office says that investigators "made numerous contacts with law enforcement (Niagara County Sheriff's Office) in New York and with the FBI," and the victim has since been returned to Laurel County.
According to investigators, the suspects became acquainted with the victim's family and the underage victim through the internet.
A release from the office says that 41-year-old Tabitha Peterson from East Bernstadt was arrested Monday at approximately 3:12 p.m. in London. She was initially charged with complicity to rape in the third degree. On Friday, Peterson was charged with additional offenses, including human trafficking involving commercial sexual activity with a victim under 18, complicity to sodomy in the first degree, and complicity to rape in the first degree. She remains in the Laurel County Detention Center.
The office also says that 38-year-old Kevin R. Martinez from Jamestown was charged on Friday with four counts of rape in the first degree and four counts of sodomy in the first degree. Martinez was arrested by Kentucky State Police in Russell County and initially lodged in the Russell County Detention Center before being transferred to Laurel County.
Lastly, the release says that 42-year-old Joshua Mahley from Niagara County, New York, is in federal custody facing federal charges of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct under Title 18 USC, and additional charges are possible.
The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are possible, according to the sheriff's office.
