A 44-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman have been arrested and are facing a slew of charges, including human trafficking, false imprisonment and sexual assault of a minor, authorities announced Wednesday.
In July, detectives with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department’s Specialized Investigation Division, as well as deputies from the Victor Valley Station were dispatched to investigate allegations of human trafficking, sexual abuse and labor trafficking of numerous victims.
During their investigation, authorities identified Rigoberto Hernandez Latin and Maria Olimpia Hernandez, both residents of Phelan, as the suspects, according to an SBSD news release.
Latin and Hernandez were arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto. The pair have been charged with human trafficking, false imprisonment, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 with force, sexual penetration of a child under 14 with a foreign object and witness intimidation by threat or force.
Authorities did not release any information on the number of victims in the case, though they do believe there may be additional victims.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Det. Wendy Winegar of the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children Detail at 909-890-4904. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 800-782-7463 or online at WeTip.
