Nine Men Caught in TBI Human Trafficking Ring, Including Three in Johnson City

Posted 11:36 Saturday, August 24, 2024

By Buzz Trexler

Star Correspondent

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation undercover operations in middle and eastern Tennessee, including the Johnson City area, led to the arrest of nine men on human trafficking charges, according to a news release.

The two-day operation, which began Aug. 21 in the Johnson City area, targeted people seeking to have sex with minors. Officers placed several bait ads on websites known to be associated with prostitution and commercial sex, according to the release, and the investigation led to the arrests of three men who were booked into the Washington County Jail:

• Dwight Rooker, 25, of Johnson City, was charged with one count of human trafficking for the purpose of a commercial sex act and one count of enticing a minor to engage in sexual intercourse. His bond was set at $51,000.

• Joseph Payne, 60, of Gray, was charged with two counts of human trafficking for the purpose of a commercial sex act. His bail was set at $50,000.

• Joshua Johnson, 42, of Prairieville, Louisiana, was charged with one count of human trafficking for the purpose of a commercial sex act. His bail was set at $25,000.

A similar two-day undercover operation in Montgomery County ended with the arrest of six men who were booked into the Montgomery County Jail:

• Franklin Poe, 25, of Memphis, was charged with two counts of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual slavery. His bail was set at $15,000.

• Andre Johnson, 34, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, solicitation of a minor and trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual servitude. His bond was set at $145,000.

• Dashuan Ramey, 32, of Clarksville, was charged with one count of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual slavery. His bond was set at $20,500.

• James Francis, 32, of Clarksville, was charged with one felony count of promoting prostitution. His bond was set at $25,000.

• Patrick Kugler, 29, of Clarksville, was charged with one count of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual slavery. His bond was set at $5,000.

• Anthony Rice, 32, of Clarksville, was charged with two counts of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual servitude. His bond was set at $5,000.

As part of the operation in Montgomery County, law enforcement officers contacted ads placed on websites related to prostitution and commercial sex ads, according to a TBI release. Seven people were recovered as potential victims of human trafficking and offered services through a human trafficking service organization.

TBI Human Trafficking Unit agents were assisted in the operations by the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, Johnson City Police Department, Office 1saint District Attorney General, Homeland Security Investigations, Clarksville Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the 19th Judicial District.

The TBI Human Trafficking Unit was created following a 2011 TBI-Vanderbilt University study that examined human trafficking in the state, according to a 2023 TBI report. Legislation was enacted giving the TBI primary jurisdiction over human trafficking crimes.

In 2016, the agency received 245 hotline calls and tips about human trafficking; in 2022, that number increased to 1,291. In 2023, Middle Tennessee led the state in hotline calls and tips, with Upper East Tennessee close behind, according to the report. In 2023, sex trafficking far outpaced other reported forms of trafficking.

Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to combat this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com.