Human trafficking; suspected OWI leads to more charges

A man pulled over for a suspected OWI now faces charges related to human trafficking.

A sheriff's deputy stopped 36-year-old Kenneth Hampton for his driving when investigators noticed a teen in the car. 

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said the teen had been reported missing. She told investigators she was coerced into the man's car and forced to do things against her will.

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Along Milwaukee's busy streets, reckless driving isn’t the only traffic that's creating concern.

Kenneth Hampton

On Saturday, March 2, a deputy pulled Hampton over for a suspected OWI. The deputy saw a woman in the passenger’s seat and an underage girl in the back.

According to a criminal complaint, the 17-year-old was upset and later told deputies she was picked up by Hampton. She explained she left her group home and a man pulled up alongside her near 49th and Capitol, coercing her into his car and forcing her to perform a sex act.

For the last 20 years, Debbie Lassiter has been working to end human trafficking. She’s the executive director and co-founder of the Convergence Resource Center.

Debbie Lassiter

"It only takes a minute for somebody to get in a car and take them somewhere they don’t want to go," Lassiter said. "We consistently let our guard down when it comes to things like this because we don’t see it right in our face."

The girl told deputies that Hampton made her model lingerie at his home, saying she would be taken to Minnesota and forced into prostitution. 

"That officer did his job and he did a great thing because he probably saved that girl’s life," Lassiter said.

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The woman in the car was also arrested for an outstanding warrant.

Convergence Resource Center

Investigators said Hampton denied the allegations.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said a search warrant was carried out at his home and investigators determined the allegations were credible.