The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office recently arrested two individuals for human trafficking and financially exploiting a 15-year-old girl who had been missing for several months.
The Human Trafficking Section was proactively monitoring suspicious adult escort advertisements across various platforms when detectives identified a female in one of the ads, believed to be a missing juvenile from Hillsborough County.
HCSO detectives, in coordination with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Lakeland Police Department, initiated a joint operation to rescue the girl. During the undercover operation in Lakeland, detectives successfully made contact with the juvenile and safely removed her from the location.
At the scene, detectives encountered 22-year-old Terrance Whitfield Jr., who was with the victim, and identified him as her trafficker. Detectives also discovered he had an active warrant for Failure to Appear – Driving While License Suspended.
Further investigation revealed that 36-year-old Brittany Armstrong, a convicted felon, had been conspiring with Whitfield to exploit the juvenile. She assisted in posting the girl in online adult escort advertisements to benefit from her financially.” Whitfield would then communicate with sex buyers, arrange commercial sexual encounters, act as security during the meetings, and collect the proceeds from the acts.
Detectives arrested Armstrong, who had a firearm at the time of her arrest.
“This young girl was exploited and abused by individuals who viewed her as nothing more than a way to make money. Let me be clear, anyone who preys on children will be found, arrested, and held accountable,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “I want to thank the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lakeland Police Department for their outstanding partnership. Because of their collaboration and the relentless work of our Human Trafficking Section, we were able to rescue a child from an unthinkable situation.”
Both suspects were booked into the Polk County Jail. Brittany Armstrong faced charges of: Human Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Activity (Victim Less Than 18). Terrance Whitfield Jr. faced charges of: Human Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Activity (Victim Less Than 18), Deriving Support from Proceeds of Prostitution, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device
Anyone who believes they may be a victim or has information about this case is urged to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8000.
This is an active Central Florida investigation, according to local law enforcement.
