ORLANDO, Fla. – Police with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation announced on Wednesday the arrests of two women and a man who are accused of trafficking at least three teens for sex acts at several hotels in Orlando.
According to WKMG in Orlando, officers arrested Tracy Koger, 34, and Tyrell San Juan Ponds, 46, in January and both are locked up in Orange County. Shana Marie Lee Bryant, 36, was arrested in December 2021 in Seminole County.
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The investigation into the trio began in July 2021 when a 15-year-old runaway turned up at Dr. Phillips Hospital saying she had been battered, according to a news release. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office turned the case over to the MBI when it was revealed she was a victim of human trafficking.
Investigators said Koger and Bryant engage in commercial sex but had also lured at least three teens into engaging in similar acts. Police said the victims range in age from 15 to 16 years old.
According to the release, the women would target vulnerable children — runaways or those in foster care — inviting them to stay in a hotel room with the promise of taking care of them. Officers said Ponds would supply the women and the victims with drugs, transportation and also forced himself on at least one of the victims.
MBI said the women would force the victims to consume alcohol or drugs when they would refuse to engage in sex acts with men. On at least one occasion, Koger held a hotel door shut when one of the victims tried to leave, according to investigators.
Officers said the Koger, Bryant and Ponds were known to frequent at least four hotels in the Orlando area:
- Quality Inn at 3956 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando
- Motel 6 at 5300 Adanson St., Orlando
- Budget Inn at3600 W Colonial Drive, Orlando
- Quality Inn and Suites at 8300 Jamaican Court, Orlando
Police believe there may be more victims involved in this human trafficking case.