California Man Held In Vegas On Human Traffic Charge In Minnesota

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 36-year-old California man is facing federal criminal charges following his arrest in Las Vegas on charges alleging he transported a teenage girl from Minnesota to Los Angeles to engage in prostitution.

Records show that Laron Darrell Carter was scheduled to for a detention hearing before a magistrate judge on Tuesday.

His public defender, Elisa Vasquez, declined comment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Carter is from Gardena, Calif., and investigators think he has other victims.

Carter was arrested Monday after an investigation that began a year ago, when Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies found a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Minneapolis.

The girl told investigators that Carter persuaded her to travel to Los Angeles, and used threats, beating and coercion to force her into prostitution.