SAN ANTONIO – Two people were arrested Tuesday night on human trafficking charges for allegedly forcing a 16-year-old girl whom they purchased for $50 into prostitution.
Investigators say Tabitha Donabella, 25, and her boyfriend Kalub Tsandula, 25, admitted that they profited from the girl, but say they did not realize that she was a minor.
"It is inhuman to do that to someone," said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus. "Especially to a young woman."
The victim had been a runaway since last month according to police. Her story is not uncommon according to McManus.
"They're not very streetwise and the often get caught up in this unwittingly," he said.
The chief said that combating human trafficking is a department wide commitment and that they have no special section designated to deal with the problem.
"We often find cases of human trafficking when we make prostitution cases," McManus said. "We'll also often find human trafficking in our narcotics investigations."