Lake Charles, LA –
On March 21 Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives were dispatched to a motel on North Martin Luther King Highway in Lake Charles in reference to a possible location of a 14 year old girl who had been reported as a runaway. When detectives arrived at the motel they located the girl in a room, along with Mariah C. Miller, 24, 216 S. Bowers Street, Iowa. After interviewing the girl, detectives learned she has been a victim of sex trafficking since January 2019. The victim advised detectives she had been beaten and forced to have sexual intercourse with numerous men. During further investigation detectives learned Miller, along with an acquaintance of the victim, Kaleb A. Citizen, 21, 4254 5th Avenue, Lake Charles, and Darius P. Landry, 28, Lake Charles, who was the victim’s guardian and family member, were responsible for trafficking the girl. Detectives were also able to identify one of the men, Antonio D. Tompkins, 25, 1009 Live Oak Street, Lake Charles, with whom she was forced to have sex. Miller, Citizen, and Tompkins; were all incarcerated at the Calcasieu Correctional Center on unrelated charges. Miller is charged with human trafficking with a bond of $250,000. Citizen is charged with human trafficking; 1st degree rape; and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a bond of $2million. Tompkins is charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a bond of $250,000. Landry was arrested on June 17 and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with trafficking of juveniles for sexual purposes with a bond of $250,000.
After further investigation detectives were able to identify three more men with whom the victim was forced to have sex; Jason D. Bryant, 19, 2530 Dewey Street, Tyler D. Lawson, 26, 1741 O’Brien Street, and Kelly Johnson, Jr., 27, 2009 Medora Street, all of Lake Charles. Between June 19 and 20 all three men were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. Bryant and Lawson are charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile; and Johnson is charged with 1st degree rape. Judge Guy Bradberry set Bryant’s bond at $1.5 million; Lawson’s bond at $250,000; and Johnson’s bond at $2 million.
The investigation in continuing and more arrests and charges are possible.
CPSO Detectives Seth Abshire and Michael G. Miller are the lead investigators on this case.