60-year-old Durham man charged with human trafficking, kidnapping, police say
A 60-year-old man was arrested on human trafficking and kidnapping charges this week following a “long-term” investigation, Durham police said Thursday.
Investigators with the Durham Police Department’s Special Victims Unit charged Chester Wallace of Durham with three counts of human trafficking and one count of first-degree kidnapping, police said in a news release.
Wallace was booked into the Durham County jail on Wednesday and is being held on a $10 million secure bond, according to an inmate database maintained by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said multiple victims, all of them adult females, had been offered assistance. Police did not say how many women were targeted by the alleged trafficking, or offer any more information about what Wallace is accused of doing.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said, adding that further charges are possible. The News & Observer has asked Durham police for more information about the investigation and alleged trafficking.
Human trafficking in NC
Human trafficking is a growing issue in North Carolina, according to the state Department of Administration. A total of 260 cases of human trafficking in the state were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2020, putting North Carolina in the top 10 of states for cases reported.
The DOA classifies trafficking by three categories: sex trafficking, labor trafficking and domestic servitude. A number of factors have contributed to North Carolina becoming a “hotbed” for human trafficking, the department says, including major interstate highways crossing the state, a “large and transient military population,” rural parts of the state where there’s demand for cheap agricultural labor, and an increase in gang activity.
Anyone with information about the case should contact police at 919-560-4440, ext. 29325, or Durham Crimestoppers at 919-683-1200. Crimestoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to felony arrests, and callers do not have to identify themselves.
Police also advised that anyone who is a victim or knows someone who is a victim of human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 888-373-7888 or sending a text to 233733.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 12:34 PM.
