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6 arrested on alleged sex trafficking charges in Battle Creek

Posted at 10:27 PM, Jun 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-29 22:48:40-04

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. -- Six people have now been arrested in connection to the alleged sex trafficking in Battle Creek Three people were arrested and formally charged, and 3 others are expected to be arraigned on Thursday.

Anna Armstrong,18, Michael Noble, 20, and James Smith, 26,  are all facing charges connected to the trafficking of three teenage girls.  They were arrested after police received two separate tips last week stemming from a missing persons alert of a 16-year-old girl sent out by the Battle Creek Police Department last Friday.

Investigators say this trafficking case is unique in that the victims knew their captors beforehand.

"This isn't like the movie Taken," said Sgt. Jefferey Case with Battle Creek Police.  "I don't want people to think there are people going around and taking people off the street.  That's not the kind of situation we're dealing with."

Officials did not comment on the specifics of the case, but they said the victims were held against their will and the use of drugs was involved.

Armstrong, Noble and Smith are scheduled to be back in court July 5.

For more information on human trafficking:

HumanTrafficking.org

FBI

AttorneyGeneral

UnitedNationsofficeonDrugsandCrime