OCALA, Fla. — Sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes, and on Friday the Marion County Sheriff's Office took more steps to stop it.
Law enforcement officials are urging parents to have their children fingerprinted, from infants all the way to 17-year-olds.
This week, Marion County closed a major case that proves that teenaged girls are especially at risk.
Michelle Spaulding does not consider herself to be an overprotective mom, but she believes she's a smart one.
"There are way too many people out there who prey on kids, and my kids aren't going to be the ones they prey on," said Spaulding.
Spaulding and dozens of other parents had their children fingerprinted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office on Friday.
Authorities told Eyewitness News they are especially concerned about fingerprinting teenaged girls, because they said they are being plucked off the street by suspects like John Dillinger Morgan.
"Basically, what this guy did is he picked up two girls walking down the road, runaways, took them to a hotel and started selling them for money," said Sgt. Jerry Bevan with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Bevan said sex trafficking is rising at an alarming rate in the county. It was serious enough for the formation of a special task force.
Bevan said fingerprints can sometimes be the only way to identify a victim if the girls will not cooperate with law enforcement.
"And they'll give false names and give fake stories, and they'll get tattoos," said Sgt. Bevan. "A lot of what they're doing is buying the girl's clothing and put their own initials in the girl's clothing to show ownership of it."
Morgan's case was Marion County's first for human trafficking. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
"That is just awful. That guy should be thrown underneath the jail instead of in it," said Spaulding.
The Sheriff's Office said it has investigated 16 sex trafficking cases since the task force was formed 18 months ago and told Eyewitness News that another case was just opened on Friday.
WFTV
