PORTERVILLE, CA (KMJ) – A missing teenage girl from Porterville is found in Las Vegas with a man from Florida, who’s now facing serious charges.
On August 18, 2023, a 17-year-old girl’s parents contacted Porterville Police, telling officers that she’d run away.
Police say the girl met a 20-year-old from Florida on social media.
They were able to track the suspect to the Fresno and Clovis areas but were unable to find them.
The Porterville Police Department would like to remind families that sex traffickers are constantly seeking out victims through social media. It is important that parents have conversations with their children about these types of predators to prevent this from happening to them.
Detectives learned she boarded a flight at the Fresno International Airport and flew out of Fresno, headed to Las Vegas, Nevada, across state lines.
Porterville detectives working with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department tracked her down to a hotel in Las Vegas
Detectives said 20-year-old Amari Keishawn Brown was arrested, and the teenage girl was returned to her parents.
Brown now faces a slew of felony charges.
Porterville detectives are working with the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office to charge Brown with Sex Trafficking, Sending Harmful Matter to a Minor, Arranging to Meet a Minor for Lewd Acts, Lewd acts with a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography, Sexual Battery, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and Child Endangerment.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Porterville Police Department at (559) 782-7400.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
