6 arrested in kidnapping, trafficking of 14-year-old across MS Coast, police say

Six people have been arrested in connection to the alleged kidnapping and trafficking of a 14-year-old girl who authorities say was forced to perform sexual acts in hotels across the Gulf Coast.

Police said the teenager was held against her will and brought to multiple hotels in Gulfport and New Orleans.

The Gulfport Police Department announced the arrests Monday and said authorities rescued the teenager on Jan. 22.

The suspects face charges including human trafficking, kidnapping and rape.

Authorities accused Bobby Terrell Mills, 40, of forcing the teenager to perform sexual acts and threatening to report her as a runaway if she refused to comply. He is facing charges of kidnapping, extortion, and forcible rape, and is jailed on a $1.6 million bond.

The five others arrested in the case are Michael Eric Moses, 40, Richard Sherrol Weir, 60, Marcus Alan Mann, 35, Jeffrey Devon Pruitt, 41, and Latasha Ann Smith, 27.

Weir, Pruitt and Smith are accused of human trafficking. Mann is jailed on charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.

Moses is jailed on a kidnapping charge and accused of holding the teenager inside a hotel room.

Trafficking investigation includes MS Coast, New Orleans

The Gulfport Police Department began investigating the case after officers responded to a complaint by Child Protective Services.

Authorities said it was unclear how long the victim had allegedly been held against her will. Jason DuCre, a spokesperson for the police department, said the officers found the teenager in January in Moses’ hotel room. She was reported missing in late September.

The girl was allegedly held and forced to perform sexual acts for Mills between December and January, according to a news release. Police said she escaped the residence where she was held by fleeing through a window.

Police said Mills told detectives that two people offered to sell the teenager to him for narcotics and $30. Authorities accused Mann and Weir of arranging the sale and transportation of the teenager. They were arrested Feb. 4.

Detectives also accused Pruitt and Smith of bringing the teenager to several hotels between the Gulf Coast and New Orleans “for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts for profit,” the news release said.

DuCre called the case an active investigation and said authorities are searching for other possible suspects or victims. Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.

This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 1:04 PM.