Lake Worth

Man Charged With Sex Trafficking 14-Year-Old Girl; Police

FILE of sirens on a San Diego County Sheriff's Department vehicle.
NBC 7

Officers say a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing by Dallas police on June 5, has been rescued from an alleged sex trafficking operation.

Lake Worth officers found the girl last week at the Great Western Inn in a room with 50-year-old Jesse Lee Manuel. 

After rescuing the girl, Manuel was detained on suspicion of harboring a runaway. However, once the girl was alone with police, they say she indicated she had been trafficked, drugged with methamphetamine, and sexually assaulted.

The young girl was reunited with her family and received medical treatment at a local hospital. Police continue to investigate.

Lake Worth police later obtained a search warrant for the hotel room, where they say an overwhelming amount of evidence was found.

Investigators said Manuel has been charged with multiple felonies including trafficking a Child to Engage in Sexual Conduct, Delivery of a Controlled Substance to a Minor, and Sexual Assault of a Child.

Manuel is currently being held at the Tarrant County Jail on $90,000 bond.

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