Dallas man arrested on human trafficking charges in Midland
MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A Dallas man was arrested and two women rescued after a traffic stop late last week that caused deputies to be suspicious. Damonte Baty, 33, has been charged with human trafficking, a second-degree felony.
According to court records, on April 4, deputies with the Midland County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a 'rolling disturbance' on Rankin Highway. Deputies conducted a traffic stop and learned that the driver, identified as Baty, was driving without a valid license and Baty was detained as part of the investigation.
During a roadside investigation, deputies searched the car and found condoms as well as 'bulk US currency'. They also found a woman, identified only as Victim #1, with injuries to her arm. The woman told investigators that she'd been forced into prostitution by Baty and that all the money she made went to directly to Baty, so much so that she didn't even have money for food. The woman said she was afraid of Baty and investigators said the 'hostile' nature of their relationship was confirmed in text messages.
While another victim in the car, identified as Victim #2, refused to speak with police, investigators said that Baty admitted that he'd driven the two women to Odessa from Dallas and investigators said that he 'coerced' the women into performing sex acts for money by giving them drugs and threatening them with violence. Investigators also said that Baty claimed he was acting as a pimp only collected a portion of the money, but electronic payments showed that all money from the prostitution went directly to Baty.
Baty was arrested and booked into the Midland County Detention Center where he remained as of Monday afternoon on a $500,000 bond.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chinese man pleads guilty to exporting arms to N. Korea
A Chinese man pleaded guilty on Monday to exporting guns and ammunition to North Korea, the Justice Department said. Shenghua Wen, 42, who was living illegally in the United States after overstaying his student visa, was charged with violating long-standing US sanctions against North Korea. Wen, arrested in California in December, was paid $2 million by North Korea for the arms shipments, the Justice Department said. Wen and unidentified co-conspirators allegedly concealed firearms and ammunition inside containers that were shipped from Long Beach, California, through Hong Kong to North Korea. The Justice Department said law enforcement in August seized two devices at Wen's home that he planned to send to North Korea -- a chemical threat identification device and a handheld broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices. In September, law enforcement seized 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly obtained to send to North Korea, the department said. Wen also attempted to obtain a civilian plane engine from a US-based broker, it said. Wen faces up to 20 years in prison for violating export controls as well as a maximum of 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He is due to be sentenced on August 18. cl/jgc
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Big Spring man arrested after allegedly hitting juvenile, crashing while drunk
BIG SPRING, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly striking a juvenile with his truck while intoxicated and then attempting to flee the scene Monday morning in Big Spring. According to the Big Spring Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of East 11th Street around 9 a.m. on Monday, June 9, for reports of a pedestrian-involved crash. Investigators said a white Dodge Ram 2500 had hit a juvenile and then continued driving, eventually striking a telephone pole in the 400 block of East 11th. A witness reportedly confronted the driver and removed the keys from the ignition to stop him from leaving before police arrived. The driver, identified as 43-year-old Arturo Vela, was taken into custody at the scene. Police said he showed signs of intoxication and had an open container inside the vehicle. Vela is charged with driving while intoxicated, third or more with an open container, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The assault charge stems from the impact with the juvenile, police said. The child was taken to Scenic Mountain Medical Center with minor injuries and has since been released. The case remains under investigation, according to Big Spring Police Chief Chad Williams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Odessa man arrested after road rage incident
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man was arrested earlier this week after investigators said he allegedly pointed a gun at a mother and her two young children during a road rage incident. Dominic Ashton Chavez has been charged with three counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. According to an Odessa Police Department report, on June 3, officers were called to the area of 42nd Street and Grandview after a woman called 911 and said the driver of an orange vehicle had pointed two handguns at her as they were driving southbound on Grandview. In the 1000 block of N Grandview, investigators found an orange Dodge Charger fitting the description and initiated a high-risk traffic stop. During questioning, investigators said the driver, identified as Chavez, reportedly admitted that he was armed with two handguns and that he'd pointed his guns at a woman in another vehicle after she revved her engine. Chavez said a verbal disturbance took place during the incident as well. Chavez was arrested and booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center without incident. He's since been released from custody on a combined $150,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
