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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) — A Florida man was recently charged with human trafficking of a child in a case dating back more than a year ago.
Stacy Kenon went before a judge late Thursday afternoon in the jail courtroom.
In arrest paperwork, the state attorney alleges Kenon engaged or attempted to engage in “transporting, soliciting, recruiting, harboring, providing, enticing, maintaining or obtaining a child under the age of 15 for the purpose of exploitation.”
“You had a 14-year-old who was troubled and she was a runaway from home,” said Ron Stucker, the Director of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
Stucker said Kenon had a woman who helped him in recruitment. They’re looking to arrest her as well.
“Empathized with her, her situation, drew her in and eventually got her involved in prostitution,” Stucker said.
“Deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution in count three,” the judge said.
“This 14-year-old actually engaged in acts of prostitution and was actively being advertised to engage in acts of prostitution,” Stucker said.
Stucker said the money collected by the teenager went back to Kenon and his alleged accomplice.
In court, the judge asked the state attorney about the bond for Kenon on the human trafficking charge.
“Since it is punishable by life, I ask that the defendant be held at no bond,” the assistant state attorney said.
The judge told Kenon he’d stay in jail without bond.
According to Stucker, the victim’s family in their search for her were able to give the MBI enough information so they could track her down.
“Having a family that cared about her was critically important in this case that they could lead us to a tip that helped us recover her,” Stucker said.
Stucker says traffickers find the vulnerable and exploit them.
The tip from the victim’s family to the MBI led to an undercover operation.
The teen was then found and reunited with her family.
