Temple Terrace Man Charged in Sarasota Human Trafficking Case

A 24-year-old Temple Terrace man faces human trafficking and prostitution-related charges following an undercover investigation by the Sarasota Police Department.

According to the department, its officers conducted an undercover investigation on Dec. 18, acting on a tip from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Through that tip, detectives learned that Maurice Williams was advertising a 16-year-old girl for prostitution in Sarasota using the website “BackPage.”

Detectives tracked Williams to a Best Western in Sarasota and obtained a search warrant. When they searched the room, they found evidence of human trafficking, an email to media stated.

Williams was subsequently arrested and the teenage girl, who had been reported as a runaway in Hillsborough County, was rescued.

“The main priority of the operation was to rescue the juvenile and gather evidence to charge Williams with human trafficking,” the department’s email said.

Williams was charged with a felony count of human trafficking of a minor and a felony count of procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution.

The girl was taken into protective study and referred to the Sarasota Police Department’s Turn Your Life Around program.

Williams remained in the Sarasota County Jail on Tuesday.

Maurice Williams/Sarasota Police Department