A Texas man is charged with bringing a female juvenile to Maryland.
Frederick, Md (KM). The trial of a Houston, Texas man charged in a human trafficking case began Monday in Frederick County Circuit Court. Thomas Duane Jones, 35, is charged with numerous counts of human trafficking, 1st-degree rape, 1st-degree sex offense, 2nd-degree assault and false imprisonment.
Jones and his co-defendant, Marvin Bernard Armstrong, 47, of High Point, North Carolina, were arrested last year at the Super 8 Motel on Monocacy Boulevard in Frederick. Police responded to the scene, and met a juvenile, who had been reported missing. She told them that Jones brought her from Texas to Maryland, where she was forced to have sex with him and Armstrong.
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“Ultimately, what he {Jones} wound up doing was giving her no other choice but to do his bidding in terms of sexual behaviors for himself and others,” says State’s Attorney Charlie Smith. “It’s an extremely serious case, and one that the jury should get by the end of the week.”
Smith says jury selection and opening statements by the prosecution and defense were held on Monday.
Armstrong pleaded guilty in May, 2017 to 2nd-degree assault, and 1st-degree sex offense. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday, September 20th.
By Kevin McManus