911 texting helps save 17-year-old human trafficking victim in California

The miss was trafficked from her location successful Mexico 2 months prior, according to authorities.

CASITAS SPRINGS, Calif. -- The Ventura County, California Sheriff's Office was capable to rescue a quality trafficking unfortunate earlier this period utilizing a small known diagnostic of its 911 system: texts.

Sheriff's officials accidental a 17-year-old miss was being held against her volition successful the distant agrarian assemblage of Casitas Springs.

"Countrywide, we are dealing with quality trafficking, and we are not immune to it successful Ventura County," Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said.

After receiving a substance from the miss astir 3 a.m. connected May 9, dispatchers were capable to usher deputies to her determination wrong minutes.

The girl, who was trafficked from her location successful Mexico 2 months prior, was evaluated and transferred to Ventura County Child Family Services.

Deputies besides arrested 31-year-old Gerardo Cruz, who is present facing a slew of charges, including rape and quality trafficking.

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Authorities accidental the substance from the miss demonstrated the value of its 911 texting option. The girl, who doesn't talk English, texted successful Spanish, which the strategy rapidly translated into English for the dispatcher.

When the dispatcher responded to her, that connection was translated into Spanish automatically.

"It volition construe backmost into that aforesaid connection truthful the caller volition lone spot it successful the connection they sent it," said Ventura County Sheriff's Cmdr. Eric Buschow, who adds the deficiency of speaking tin beryllium captious successful definite cases. "A substance connection allows for that soundless communication. If you person a concern wherever idiosyncratic has a prowler astatine their location ... you tin nonstop a substance connection and springiness updates and things similar that without alerting idiosyncratic to your presence."

The Ventura County Sheriff's dispatch halfway has been acceptable up to person exigency texts since 2019.

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties each connection 911 texting, but it is inactive being rolled retired successful different parts of California.