Three missing girls from Washington were found along with a California fugitive in Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 13, according to multiple reports. The man is currently facing human trafficking charges, according to the Rosenburg Police Department.
In a news release issued by the police department, the Rosenburg Police stated that at around 3:57 a.m. in the morning on Thursday, officers noticed a car parked within the area of the Rosenburg Municipal Airport. At the time, police found it suspicious and approached the vehicle, after which they found a man along with three other minor females in the car. The vehicle was stated to be a rental car, according to the news release.
The news release stated that the man was Maurice Pierre Hurth, a 41-year-old from Suisun City, California. Following the discovery of Hurth, authorities discovered that there were several arrest warrants out on the 41-year-old from areas in San Francisco, Fairfield, and Solano, California.
Hurth put up some brief resistance before the police were able to arrest him on those arrest warrants, according to the news release.
Police conducted an investigation into the situation and found out that the three female minors in the rental along with Hurth were recently reported missing. All three were from a youth group home located in the Seattle, Washington area, the news release stated.
The three female minors were taken into protective custody following the incident, and later on, the girls were taken to the Douglas County Juvenile Shelter, according to the news release.
As authorities conducted the investigation into the case, the evidence that police were able to uncover enabled the authorities to charge Hurth with the following crimes:
Three counts of Trafficking in Persons, three founts of Compelling Prostitution, three counts of Custodial Interference in the First Degree, and one count of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the First Degree.
Following Hurth’s arrest, he was taken to the Douglas County Corrections Center, where he remains as the investigation continues, the release stated.
ABC News reported that it is unclear whether Hurth has obtained an attorney to represent him.