CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Two people have been arrested and charged with human trafficking after the teenage victim reported them to law enforcement.
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) said they received a report from the victim, 16, that St. Petersburg resident and suspect Dourian Emmanuel Butler, 28, engaged in sexual activity with her.
She told deputies that between Oct. 17 and Oct. 20, 2022, she had been left alone with Butler in two separate hotels and at the home of 38-year-old Candy Lee Holmes of Beverly Hills, Fla. She also claimed that Butler was armed with a gun.
CCSO requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take the lead in the case since the crime occurred throughout multiple counties.
Officials said the investigation revealed that Butler coordinated with Holmes to travel from Pinellas County to a hotel in Citrus County to engage in sexual activity with the victim. Holmes and Butler also transported the victim to another hotel in Levy County and to Holmes' house.
They stated that Butler engaged in sexual activity with the girl at all three locations.
FDLE arrested Butler and Holmes and charged them with one count of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity involving a child younger than 18 years old.
Butler was also charged with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, one count of traveling to meet a minor for sex and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Butler will be booked into the Pinellas County Jail on Feb. 3. Holmes was booked into the Citrus County Jail on Feb. 2.
The St. Petersburg Police Department also assisted in this investigation.
