‘She took a chance to tell on her abuser’: Woman in hotel saved by Bend Police after texting Human Trafficking Hotline
'Very brave' Salem woman freed; Vancouver man arrested on assault, promoting prostitution charge
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Salem woman texted the National Human Trafficking Hotline from a Bend hotel room to report she was being held against her will and forced to engage in commercial sex acts, leading to a Vancouver, Washington man’s arrest on charges of assault and promoting prostitution, police said Monday.
The 31-year-old woman sent the text to the hotline around 2:15 a.m. last Thursday to report she was being held against her will in a room at the Red Lion Inn & Suites on NE Butler Market Road, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
"It's very rare that we receive contact from the Trafficking Hotline," Miller said. "It's even more rare that we would get a referral from a hotline in a situation where, like an exigent circumstance, where someone is in danger -- right now."
After several attempts to contact the woman went unanswered, Miller said, officers knocked on the door of the room and announced themselves, ordering those inside to open the door.
When the woman answered the door, officers evacuated her and took suspect Orlando Devaria Smith, 33, of Vancouver, Wash., into custody.
During a later interview, the woman told police Smith had punched her in the face several times and forced her to engage in sex acts with several men over the course of two days, Miller said.
Officers located an online ad for the victim, as well as more than $1,000 in Smith’s possession.
Smith was arrested and booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of fourth-degree assault, promoting prostitution and an out-of-county warrant involving a traffic offense in Salem.
Smith was arraigned last Friday on initial formal charges of promoting prostitution, a Class C felony, and fourth-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor, court records show. He is due to return to court next Friday for arraignment on an expected formal indictment.
"We know that sex work and sex trafficking happen in Bend just like they happen all over the country," Miller said. "In this particular case, this was a case of a victim who was very brave and came forward and took a chance to tell on her abuser. "
If you or someone you know is involved in a trafficking situation, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733, Miller noted. Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.
