VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- An Elizabeth City man is facing federal charges after he allegedly recruited a 14-year-old girl for prostitution.
An affidavit shows a man called the FBI to report his 14-year-old daughter was involved with prostitution through an online escort service. The man stated his daughter ran away from home Sept. 26 with 20-year-old Joshua Manuel Treat, of Elizabeth City, N.C.
A report was filed with the Chesapeake Police Department and the girl was put on a missing person list and her picture was placed in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Database.
On Sept. 28, the missing girl was briefly seen at home by her mother, but ran away again. The girl's father found information on her phone that showed multiple numbers he believed belonged to man, based on online resources. One of the telephone numbers belonged to an online escort service.
According to the affidavit, the father found a picture he believed to be his daughter listed on the website. He also saw pictures of other girls he believed to be underage, based on their appearance.
A protective order was filed against Treat by the father, however, it was never able to be served. In addition, court documents show the father said he believed Treat was involved in drug activity and led the 14-year-old girl to be involved as well.
Using his daughter's phone, the man tracked recent calls to a hotel in Virginia Beach and then called Virginia Beach Police.
Virginia Beach police went to the hotel, but did not find anyone registered under the girl's name or Treat's name.
On Oct. 12, Virginia Beach police were investigating incidents of prostitution within the city. A detective working undercover exchanged several online instant messages and phone messages with Joshua Treat. The detective set up an appointment with Treat at the hotel for later that evening.
Court documents say Treat and the detective agreed that Treat would have sexual intercourse with the 14-year-old girl while being watched in exchange for $250.
Treat and the girl arrived at the hotel at 9 p.m. on Oct. 12, along with a juvenile male who dropped them off and then left. When the boy drove away, Treat and the girl entered room 145 and briefly discussed the arrangements with the detective. The detective gave Treat $400, before taking him and the girl into custody.
At the same time, surveillance units followed the boy who dropped Treat and the girl off. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop.
Police searched Treat and found a handgun in his left front pants pocket, along with a syringe with heroin residue on it and a crack cocaine smoking device in his right shoe.
According to the affidavit, the girl admitted she initially agreed to go to the hotel for a prostitution appointment, but later told Treat she did not feel comfortable having sex with him in front of someone. She stated Treat then suggested she try to go through with the appointment, but if she felt uncomfortable, they would rob the customer. The girl also stated she saw the boy who drove them to the hotel give Treat a handgun when he got into the car.
Court documents say, in later interviews, the girl explained to authorities that she and Treat had been dating since she was 13 years old. Since she ran away in September, the girl said Treat posted her to an online prostitution service and set up appointments for her. She also stated she was always high on drugs during the appointments, usually on heroin which Treat injected into her intravenously.
The girl admitted she did have sex with some of the customers, but when she refused to go through with the appointments at Treat's request, she would rob the customers, sometimes threatening to use a taser. During the robberies, Treat would hide in the hotel room with a firearm, in case the girl needed help.
Treat admitted to setting up the appointment with the Virginia Beach Police detective and encouraging the girl to do the appointment. According to the affidavit, if the girl felt uncomfortable, he was going to use the handgun to rob the customer.
Treat was taken to the Virginia Beach City Jail and charged with various state crimes, according to court documents.
Joshua Manuel Treat Federal Affidavit by 13News Now on Scribd