La Palma Police Arrest Two Males for Human Trafficking

On June 27, 2018, the La Palma Police Department responded to a disturbance call in a hotel room and came in contact with two adult males, one adult female, and one female juvenile. Based on the circumstances, the La Palma Police Officers suspected that the two females were victims of human trafficking.

The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force was contacted and assisted with the investigation. La Palma Police Officers arrested Dante Gonzales for felony pimping, pandering, and human trafficking of a minor and James Gutierrez for felony human trafficking of a minor. The female victims were provided additional resources through the Orange County Social Service Agency and a victim advocacy group.

Both male subjects were booked at the La Palma Police Department and later transported to Orange County Jail where they are both being held on $500,000 bail.

Human trafficking is a serious crime that uses force, fraud, or coercion to deprive a person of their personal liberty for the exploitative purpose of committing commercial sex acts or labor services. Many of the victims in human trafficking cases fear for their safety and commit acts to appease their captors. The La Palma Police Department appreciates alert citizens who report suspicious activity, which in this case, prevented these young women from being further victimized.