A 16-year-old Marion County boy and another teen were rescued after a Louisiana law enforcement agency received information that a missing teen was spotted in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The investigation began on May 9, 2018, when someone reported seeing the Louisiana teen at a mobile home located at 4000 24th Street North, St. Petersburg.
When officers arrived at the mobile home, they found the Louisiana teen along with a 16-year-old from Marion County, who had gone missing 11 months earlier when he was 15.
In May 2017, the teen’s mother found a note from her son stating not to look for him.
One of the suspects, Mark Dennis, claimed to be the 16- year- old boy’s biological father but had no documentation.
On Monday, Five of the men and one woman was arrested in the case. On Tuesday, a seventh suspect turned himself in to authorities.
The teen was lured with the promise of a glamorous life, instead, he was moved into a filthy trailer and lived with four men. For the next year, the teen was introduced to sadomasochism and used as sex slaves.
Additionally, the boy never attended school and did not receive medical care.
According to investigators, the 16-year-old was lured through Discord, an online gaming app/chat platform that allows users to communicate directly with one another.
Today, the victim is receiving specialized trauma-informed care designed for victims of human trafficking and is doing much better.
Arrested were:
Mark Earl Dennis, 1617 Moore Avenue, Lehigh Acres, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
- Sexual Battery (with a child under age 16)
Andrew Barry Dennis, 1617 Moore Avenue, Lehigh Acres, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
- Sexual Battery (with a child under age 16)
Curtis Lee Gruwell, 1617 Moore Avenue, Lehigh Acres, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
Michael Wayne Schwartz, 1617 Moore Avenue, Lehigh Acres, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
Michael Ray Blasdel, 4428 4th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
- Transmission of material harmful to minors to a minor
- Sexual Battery (with a child under age 16)
- Sexual Battery (with a child under age 16)
JR Gauthier, 4428 4th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
- Sexual Battery (with a child under age 16)
Eleanor Faye McGlamory, 535 NE 170th Ct., Silver Springs, FL
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking
- Interference with Custody
The investigation is ongoing.
10
0
