The Boston Globe reports that a Dorchester man kidnapped a 15-year-old girl from an area street on May 7 and held her captive while forcing her to work as a prostitute in motels in Quincy, Danvers, and Dorchester.
The girl escaped last weel when the suspect left her alone at the Best Western Adams Inn in Quincy. She ran from the hotel room and went to the lobby, where she reached out to relatives through Facebook and pleaded for their help, Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Erin Murphy said in court.
Norman S. Barnes, 29, pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court to charges of kidnapping and enticing a minor into prostitution.
Authorities said at least two relatives arrived at the motel at the same time Barnes returned there Thursday. A relative of the girl summoned a state trooper working a paid detail on the Neponset River Bridge reconstruction project. The trooper arrested Barnes and helped rescue the girl. Barnes also had $19,000 in cash on him.
The Globe reported that the burly Barnes appeared in court with his jacket pulled over his face and his hands cuffed in front of him.
The case illustrates why Massachusetts needs to enact legislation against human trafficking. Massachusetts is one of four states that do not have a specific law against sex slavery; prosecutors back a bill proposed by Attorney General Martha Coakley.
