BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont man changed his plea to guilty on day two of his trial for trafficking a minor in June 2020.
The trial began Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Darrell Gerard Jordan, 24, changed his plea as the jury returned from lunch on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
The plea deal gave him 25 years in prison for trafficking and 10 years in prison for a related firearms violation. The sentences will run concurrently.
Judge Raquel West presided over the trial. Defense Attorney William Wilkerson represented Jordan.
On June 4, 2020, Beaumont Police got a call about a teenager possibly being held against her will at Executive Inn on 4085 IH-10 South, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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Paige Sidney of Groves, Jordan and the teen were all there when police arrived.
The teen told investigators that Jordan would coordinate meet-ups between her and ‘Johns’ so she could provide sexual services for payment. The girl would then bring the money to Jordan, according to the affidavit.
During one encounter, Sidney allegedly hit the teen in the face for not collecting the money. The two then threatened her with violence.
Officers found firearms, drugs and a large amount of money in the hotel room. Ads were found on a 'known prostitution website' with pictures of the teen, according to investigators.
Sidney and Jordan were each indicted on charges of human trafficking of a minor.
Sidney has not yet gone to trial.
Because of its size and vast interstate systems, Texas is one of the largest hubs for human trafficking.
Almost 30 percent of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline originate in Texas, according to the organization.
The Texas Attorney General estimates that there are 234,000 victims of trafficking in Texas at any given time. At least 79,000 victims are believed to be minors.
Texas AG Ken Paxton formed the Human Trafficking and Transnational/Organized Crime Section to combat human trafficking across our state.
The state has a 24-hour hotline to report suspicious activity. That number is 1-888-3737-888. You can also text 233733.
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If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.