On January 11, 2023, the Human Trafficking detectives embedded with the Yavapai County task force, Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking, (PANT) arrested a 31 year old man, Leeon Baskerville of Prescott Valley for soliciting a sex act for payment from an underage female. Baskerville contacted the female and agreed to meet, where detectives were able to arrest him for Child Sex Trafficking. During the suspect’s arrest, he was found possessing a deadly weapon, which he was not permitted to own due to a prior arrest, as well as other evidence connected to the trafficking charge. He was also charged with Weapons Misconduct and booked into the County jail.
“I am proud of our human trafficking detectives for taking this predator off the streets,” said Sheriff David Rhodes. “Crimes perpetrated at the expense of our most vulnerable are particularly heinous, and because of the hard work of law enforcement, children are no longer in danger from this man”.
The Human Trafficking detectives are new to the PANT task force, having been partly funded by the Arizona Legislature and Governor’s Office Anti-Human Trafficking Grant Fund.
