North Las Vegas man held in sex trafficking of missing teen girl
A North Las Vegas man has been arrested on suspicion of trafficking a 16-year-old girl for the purposes of prostitution, according to police and court records.
Lamarcus Tidwell, 18, was booked May 5 at the Clark County Detention Center on felony counts of sex trafficking of a child under 18, living from the earnings of a prostitute and robbery.
A Las Vegas police arrest report for Tidwell states that on April 18 police encountered the 16-year-old on a street corner at the intersection of West Tropicana Avenue and Decatur Boulevard. The teen solicited an undercover detective for sex in exchange for money, prompting her arrest.
She gave officers a fake name but was later identified as a teen reported missing in the Las Vegas Valley. The teen told police that from February to March she brought in $3,000 with more than 100 prostitution dates and gave half the money to Tidwell. During one incident in March, she said Tidwell pushed her to the ground and took all of her money.
Police obtained a search warrant for Tidwell’s Facebook account and said they found messages supporting the contention that he was trafficking the girl.
Police arrested Tidwell and he acknowledged taking “money she earned solely from prostitution dates,” according to the report.
North Las Vegas Justice Court records indicate Tidwell is out of custody. A criminal complaint in the case has not been filed. A status check on the filing of a criminal complaint is scheduled for Aug. 5.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.