Pennsylvania man accused of trying to traffic teenage girl for sex
Pennsylvania man accused of trying to traffic teenage girl for sex
02:48
A man from Philadelphia is accused of driving a teenage girl to Pittsburgh to have sex with another man for money.
Darnaill Foster allegedly drove a 17-year-old girl from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh so she could have sex with another man in exchange for $200.
According to court paperwork, the Northern Regional Police Department conducted an undercover sting to arrest the man. Authorities said an officer monitoring an escort website replied to an ad he came across on Tuesday night. They allegedly agreed to meet for an hour at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry on Sheraton Drive in Marshall Township.
Court paperwork said a vehicle pulled into the parking lot to meet, but no one got out. Officials said the driver got suspicious and left, but he was pulled over a short time later.
The teen claimed Foster is her best friend’s brother, and they drove from Philadelphia to visit his sister and mother. Police said they found marijuana and condoms in the teen’s purse. The phone used to communicate about the ad was also found in the car.
Frederick Woodard, a retired Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detective, said these cases are more common than many people realize.
“Just in the last year alone, at least 12,000 cases were reported just through various hotlines,” said Woodard. “You can probably triple that and come up with a closer number to how many cases there actually are.”
Woodard is the operations director for The Asservo Project is a non-profit organization created to combat human trafficking and child exploitation. He has one piece of advice for parents.
“Monitor their online presence, their phones and who they are talking to online,” Woodard said. “That’s probably the best way to combat that.”
Foster was charged with trafficking, promoting prostitution and sexual exploitation of children. He was denied bail, citing that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.