COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. (WXMI) — A Comstock Park man is accused of trafficking a 16-year-old girl from Grand Rapids.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation started when investigators with its Human Trafficking Task Force received a tip in October.
The sheriff’s office says the 38-year-old Comstock Park man befriended the 16-year-old girl while in a public area.
From there, officials say, she was trafficked through online postings.
Investigators say they learned the teen was in the Upper Peninsula, possibly with the man. The sheriff’s office says the information was broadcast to northern Michigan authorities.
That’s when a staff member for the Mackinac Bridge Authority spotted the man driving and hiding a person under a blanket in the backseat.
The sheriff’s office says the Mackinac Bridge Authority contacted law enforcement, who then stopped the vehicle after it crossed the Mackinac Bridge.
The man is being charged with human trafficking, sexually abusive activity, possession of child abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime.
For more information about human trafficking or how to submit a tip, click here.
