A South Florida man was arrested Thursday, accused of holding a 13-year-old girl against her will in a small apartment for a week and selling her to five men for sex, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
James Edward Capers Jr., 36, of Hollywood, was charged in a Broward County court with kidnapping, human trafficking and two counts of lewd or lascivious battery, the newspaper reported.
During a bond hearing Friday, Hollywood Police Detective Debra Levy said the girl identified Capers as “Junior” after looking at a lineup of photographs.
“An independent witness saw her fleeing from the residence and positively identified Capers,” Levy told Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica. “I do have concern, Your Honor, for the victim’s safety because of the nature of the crime and the element involved in this situation.”
Two other men and a woman also lived in the apartment, according to testimony.
Mollica ordered Capers held without bond until he faces a trial judge, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Mollica also ordered Capers not to contact the child or her family and said he could not go within a mile of their home.
Capers was being held on $350,000 bond.
If he is released before his trial, Capers will have to wear a GPS monitor, Mollica said.
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