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By Dustin Phillips on
January 20, 2015
January 26, 2022

An 18-year-old Tulsa man was arrested last�week and jailed on multiple complaints, including human trafficking.According to reports, police responded to a complaint that a man threatened to shoot his girlfriend and her mother. They arrested Dashawn Patrick Hervey, 18, on complaints of domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon and threatening a violent act.However, during their investigation, police allegedly discovered that Hervey had forced two minor girls to have sex with multiple other men in exchange for money, and that he confiscated the money after the acts were complete. As a result, he is also jailed on two complaints�of human trafficking. He is held in lieu of bond, set at $25,000 for each of the domestic violence charges and at $100,000 for each of the human trafficking charges.Hervey also has another felony domestic violence case pending in Tulsa County District Court. In October, he was charged with domestic assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.He was also the subject of a protective order filed against him in 2011, when he was still a juvenile.Human trafficking may take the form of forced labor or forced prostitution. In sex trafficking, a person is said to be the victim of human trafficking if he or she is forced or coerced into prostitution or commercial sex acts through the threat of violence or other coercive measures which do not allow the trafficked person a way out.In Hervey's case, he is accused of threatening the minor girls with harm if they did not comply with his demands to engage in prostitution, and he is accused of taking all proceeds of the commercial sex act.Additionally, according to Oklahoma law, any person under the age of 18 who is found to be engaging in prostitution is considered to be a victim of human trafficking. Even though the age of consent in Oklahoma is 16, under both state and federal law, no one under 18 can legally consent to engaging in any commercial sex act, including pornography, exotic dancing, or prostitution. In fact, 21 O.S. 748 specifically states, "The consent of a victim to the activity prohibited by this section shall not constitute a defense."Learn more about human trafficking in Oklahoma.In Oklahoma, human trafficking is a felony punishable by 5 years to life in prison and a $100,000 fine; however, if the victim is under the age of 18, the crime is punishable by a minimum of 15 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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