TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Thanks to a group of hotel employees, a Michigan man was arrested after a 17-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Chicago was found safe in Tuscaloosa Thursday, police report.
Geremy Glass, 33, was charged with first-degree human trafficking and second-degree possession of marijuana. Glass tried to flee, but was arrested nearby, according to Capt. Phil Simpson.
“The hotel staff took thoughtful action to check on the welfare of their guest without regard to their own
safety,” West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force commander Capt. Phil Simpson said in a statement.
On Thursday, the TPD received a call from a local hotel requesting a welfare check on a resident. During a check-in, a staff member noticed indicators that pointed towards sex trafficking and signaled a coworker. They then reported to their supervisors and they took necessary steps to identify the guest.
Officers and investigators from the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force then arrived at the scene, where they were able to identify the missing teenager and arrest Glass.
“The Tuscaloosa Police Department would like to thank the hotel staff for their diligence and for the lengths
they went to in order to help recover this endangered juvenile,” the task force released in a statement.
Glass is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail with no bond set on the trafficking charge and a $6,000 bond for the marijuana charge. The teen will be taken back home to Chicago.