Lake Charles, LA –
On March 21 Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives were dispatched to a motel on North Martin Luther King Highway in Lake Charles in reference to a possible location of a 14 year old girl who had been reported as a runaway. When detectives arrived at the motel they located the girl in a room, who stated she had been a victim of sex trafficking since January 2019. The victim advised detectives she had been beaten and forced to have sexual intercourse with numerous men. During further investigation detectives learned Mariah C. Miller, 24, 216 S. Bowers Street, Iowa, whom the victim was found with in the motel, along with an acquaintance of the victim, Kaleb A. Citizen, 21, 4254 5th Avenue, Lake Charles, and Darius P. Landry, 28, Lake Charles, who was the victim’s guardian and family member, were responsible for trafficking the girl. Miller and Citizen were both incarcerated at the Calcasieu Correctional Center on unrelated charges. Miller is charged with human trafficking with a bond of $250,000. Citizen is charged with human trafficking; 1st degree rape; and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a bond of $2million. Landry was arrested on June 17 and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with trafficking of juveniles for sexual purposes with a bond of $250,000.
During the investigation detectives were able to identify four men with whom the victim was forced to have sex; Antonio D. Tompkins, 25, 1009 Live Oak Street, Jason D. Bryant, 19, 2530 Dewey Street, Tyler D. Lawson, 26, 1741 O’Brien Street, and Kelly Johnson, Jr., 27, 2009 Medora Street, all of Lake Charles. Tompkins was already incarcerated at the Calcasieu Correction Center on unrelated charges and the other three men were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center between June 19 and 20. Tompkins, Bryant and Lawson are charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile; and Johnson is charged with 1st degree rape. Judge Guy Bradberry set Tompkins’ and Lawson’s bonds at $250,000; Bryant’s bond at $1.5 million; and Johnson’s bond at $2 million.
During further investigation detectives learned of another suspect, Mayur K. Patel, 39, Houston, Texas, that was responsible for trafficking the victim for sex at the motel where she was found, which Patel managed. Detectives also learned Patel had sexual intercourse with victim. On July 19 Judge Michael Canaday signed a warrant for Patel’s arrest to be held with no bond for human trafficking and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. On July 26 he was located in Houston and extradited back to the Calcasieu Correctional Center and booked in.
The investigation is continuing and more arrests and charges are possible.
CPSO Detectives Seth Abshire and Michael G. Miller are the lead investigators on this case.
UPDATE: After further investigation detectives have learned of two more suspects, both of whom worked at the motel where the victim was found, who had sexual intercourse with the 14 year old.
1. Reiko Johnson, Sr., 42, 519 Hackberry Street, Lake Charles. Johnson was initially arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center on July 17 for obstruction of justice, with a bond of $150,000 set by Judge Guy Bradberry, after an investigation revealed he had been attempting to hide the victim at the motel, while detectives were initially trying to locate her. On July 29 he was additionally charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a bond of $250,000 set by Judge Clayton Davis.
2. Dominique J. Simmons, 32, 1206 Sally Mae Street, Lake Charles. On July 24 he was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with a $250,000 bond set by Judge Clayton Davis.
