Man charged with trafficking 14-year-old in Mahtomedi, another man accused of sexually assaulting her
When deputies responded to a call about a teenager in distress in a Mahtomedi parking lot evidence at the scene and their gut feelings led them to call the sergeant in charge of the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force The resident of the apartment building who made the call to law enforcement and the Washington County sheriff s deputies quick actions helped get a -year-old out of a terrible situation Washington County Sheriff s Office Sgt Danelle Erickson declared Thursday Two men were charged Thursday with sexual assault and one is also accused of sex trafficking It s heartbreaking to know these men brought a -year-old girl into our region and sexually assaulted her Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson explained in a comment Investigators obtained surveillance video showing other incidents of the suspect bringing females in various intoxicated states to the Mahtomedi apartment over the prior weeks the sheriff s office disclosed in a message The trafficking task force is aware of two teenage casualties and three adults sufferers Erickson explained The defendants have been charged in connection with the -year-old and Erickson disclosed additional charges are achievable Teen revealed in apartment lot screaming no Officers were called to the Piccadilly Square Apartments a housing district near Wildwood and Stillwater roads on June on a account of a teenager dancing in the parking lot and screaming no no no disclosed the criminal complaints The person who called mentioned an unknown man dropped her off about four hours earlier A man identified as -year-old Michael Lewis stepped out the front door of the apartment The teen later identified as the -year-old pointed to him and noted she was with Lewis and one of his friends Michael Lewis Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office Lewis stated his veteran s affairs counselor had just gone to his apartment to give him cigarettes and he concluded the teen was with the counselor EMS took the teen to the hospital East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force investigators met with her and demanded how she knew the man who brought her to the apartment She reported he was a friend who she referred to as Billy and she explained he often drove around her neighborhood When demanded what happened inside the Mahtomedi apartment the teen reported that Billy walked her to the apartment where another man was inside the complaints reported She identified Lewis as the man inside the apartment after looking at a photo The teen stated Billy gave her crack cocaine She nodded her head yes when inquired if anything sexual happened in the apartment the complaints commented Officers identified Billy as Billy Ray Wiley of Minneapolis Surveillance footage revealed he arrived at the apartment where Lewis lives with the teen When she ran out of the building later the surveillance video presented the girl s actions and movements were drastically different from when she arrived at the apartment Billy Ray Wiley Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office Law enforcement spoke again with the teen on Monday who was noticeably in better condition than on June She declared Wiley would find her walking around a grocery store by her house and just pick her up There was no time or location planned Wiley would just find her the complaints reported She stated that when Wiley picked her up she knew she would be expected to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money and drugs which is also what happened the day he brought her to Lewis apartment the complaints mentioned Another teen uncovered in car with suspect When Wiley drove by the Piccadilly apartments officers pulled him over and arrested him In a spontaneous comment Wiley required an officer if it was illegal to pay for expletive ' the complaints noted A -year-old girl was in the car with Wiley She commented that earlier in the day in the area of Dale Street and University Avenue in St Paul Wiley pulled up right next to her and solicited her what she needed He then gave her a cigarette and petitioned if she required to go for a ride the complaints reported She declared they drove around for several hours and he informed her that she was pretty and had a nice body the complaints revealed She announced she narrated Wiley several times to drop her off but he kept driving The teen also described officers that a great number of girls who are struggling with addiction hang around Dale and University and reported that Wiley is known to pick up a lot of girls in the area the complaints mentioned Officers searched Wiley s car and uncovered unopened condoms and a white crystalline substance that is pending testing Law enforcement also arrested Lewis The Washington County Attorney s Office charged Wiley with engaging in the sex trafficking of an individual under age and first-degree criminal sexual conduct Lewis is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct Both men remained in the Washington County jail Thursday night Attorneys for them weren t listed in their court files Related Articles Fight with girlfriend preceded stabbing death in Apple Valley charges say Blood evidence in Columbia Heights man s apartment leads to murder charge in teen son s death St Paul Ramsey County officers seize nearly pounds of meth in Minneapolis Apple Valley police ask for help in finding suspect in fatal stabbing Second defendant admits to role in fatal shooting of South St Paul father during marijuana robbery Old-school trafficking At the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force Erickson revealed usually they see people posting advertisements online for sex That s how traffickers usually do this she explained This situation was more old-school trafficking because the suspect was pulling girls who are vulnerable off the street to traffic them Erickson explained For anyone in immediate danger of being trafficked call declared the Washington County Sheriff s Office Suspected trafficking situations can be disclosed to the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force at - -