Parolee arrested on suspicion of human trafficking

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.

At around 7:45 a.m. Monday, officers went to a hotel on Mitchell Avenue near the South Airport Boulevard hotel strip to conduct the parole check on Shon Tinsley, according to South San Francisco police.

Tinsley, 27, of Vallejo, was confirmed by police to be on parole for burglary.

When officers entered Tinsley's room, they discovered a woman from San Francisco, along with evidence suggesting that a prostitution operation was under way, according to police. Tinsley was allegedly working as the woman's pimp, police said.

Further investigation revealed that the woman had been "fraudulently induced" into working as a prostitute for a commercial sex operation and wanted to stop, according to police. Investigators put her in touch with counselors at a San Mateo County human trafficking victim assistance center.

Tinsley was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, pimping and pandering, and his parole was revoked, according to police.

He was booked into San Mateo County Jail, and bail was set at $250,000.

South San Francisco police have investigated four human trafficking cases this year alone, and eight since July 2011. The investigations have resulted in the arrests of 11 alleged traffickers and the rescue of 14 victims -- six of them juveniles, police said.

Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.