Ocala man accused of selling woman, forcing her into prostitution across Florida

OCALA, Fla. — A 32-year-old Ocala man was arrested on charges of human trafficking after he “exploited a woman to include taking control of all of her money, selling her and forcing her to participate in numerous acts of prostitution,” according to a news release.

A five-month-long investigation led to the arrest of Ryan Gemelle Poole on Wednesday.

The release said that Poole was also charged with “one count of living off earnings of prostitute and public order crimes, using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.”

The victim told investigators Poole made about $1,500 a week from her and, “sold her, branded her with a tattoo and forced her to call him ‘daddy.’”

Detectives said that Poole forced the woman to perform acts of prostitution across Florida, including Marion, Alachua, Orange, Hillsborough and Charlotte counties.

Detectives said he’s from Arkansas and admitted to having women work for him there.

The release said that Poole promoted the victim on multiple sex websites and profited from her actions that were depicted on the sites.

The case only came to light because a prosecutor who had recently gone through training on how to recognize human trafficking victims noticed red flags when talking to the victim about an unrelated case.

“Having those people trained so that they understand human trafficking and have a working knowledge of what to look for is hugely important,” said Zackary Hughes of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “We are very concerned that there may be other victims out there that have not come forward.”

Detectives also said Poole solicited a second woman to participate in the online sexual activities, but after one session, the second woman decided to separate herself from Poole and his victim.

Marion County detectives said Poole’s is the third human-trafficking arrest made in the history of the sheriff’s office.

“This arrest is a result of combined efforts of several agencies and an engaged public in Marion County working in partnership to identify these cases and deal with them as proactively as possible,” said Marion County Sheriff Emery Gainey. “Having dedicated law-enforcement officers trained in the identification, investigation and prosecution of these unique cases is paramount to our success. I am proud of the men and women of the sheriff’s office who work so hard to protect these victims and to bring their exploiters to justice.”

Prosecutors with the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will be the prosecuting authority for the charges in the case because the crimes happened in multiple jurisdictions.

“Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime and the allegations in this case are sickening, further proving that we must do everything we can to eliminate human trafficking in Florida,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Working with our great law-enforcement partners like Marion County Sheriff Emery Gainey and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the subject of this investigation was arrested and justice will be served.”

Detectives believe that Poole might have other victims who have not been identified or have not yet come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP or 352-368-7867. Text tips to 274637 using keyword 368STOP. Tips can also be submitted at www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.

For Crime Stoppers, please reference 16-129 in the tip. Also for Crime Stoppers, if the tip leads to an arrest, the tipster might be eligible for an award of up to $1,000.

Cox Media Group