Female Sex Trafficker Arrested In Portland, Police Say

PORTLAND, OR — Police on Monday arrested a 21-year-old Portland woman accused of trafficking a 17-year-old girl for sex, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley. The bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit was assisted by the Beaverton Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Multnomah County Parole and Probation office.

Shanell Nicole Rix was lodged at the Multnomah County Jail on charges of compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution, and attempting to use a child in display of a sexually explicit act. Her bail is set at $275,000.

According to court documents obtained by Patch, Portland detectives on July 31 received a CyberTipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identifying a girl suspected of being in the Portland area as a sex trafficking victim. Included with the CyberTipline Report was a Backpage.com advertisement from the Women Seeking Men section that was believed to be associated with the missing minor.

Following up on the advertisement from Backpage.com, a known prostitution and trafficking hub, detectives arranged via text for a "date" with the girl for $250. The court documents explain that the word "date" in this case is known to mean "sexual contact for a fee."

Through text, an undercover detective was sent to a fourth-floor apartment in the area of Northeast 82nd Avenue and Northeast Sandy Boulevard where he found both Rix and the missing girl, who he identified based on missing person photographs, court documents show.

Rix was subsequently arrested and the recovered minor victim, who is from another state, is now being returned home, Burley said.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact Sgt. Norm Staples with the Portland Police Bureau Sex Trafficking Unit at 503-255-0118 or 503-545-3391.

From the Portland Police Bureau:

Sex trafficking and prostitution are not victimless crimes.

Victims of sex trafficking and prostitution are forced, coerced, and manipulated into this lifestyle against their will. They are forced to suffer through physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The Portland Police Bureau, in conjunction with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to deterring prostitution and sex trafficking activities.

If you know or think that someone may be involved in trafficking or is being exploited, please contact the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit at 503-255-0118, the Sexual Assault Resource Center hotline 1-800-640-5311; or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678 or via the Cyber Tipline: http://www.missingkids.org/CyberTipline.

Photo Courtesy: Portland Police Bureau