A victim has been rescued and a Gulfport man has been charged in connection with a human trafficking investigation.
30-year-old Maxwell Phillips was taken into custody after a hotel room at the In Town Suites was searched, and officers with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security found a 17-year-old victim in the room.
The girl was placed into protective custody and Phillips was charged with one count of Human trafficking.
According to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center docket, Phillips has been booked there nine times, and he has previously been charged for trafficking.
He is now being held at the center on a $250,000 bond.
How to identify human trafficking:
This case comes just days after a victim in Hinds County was rescued, and law enforcement continues to urge Mississippians to be mindful of their surroundings and look for out signs of human trafficking.
