On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Donald Hetrick was convicted of felony human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking, rape of an unconscious person, statutory sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility for his involvement in a sex trafficking operation in Blair County, Pennsylvania. This case was the first human trafficking-related case tried before a jury in Blair County. Hetrick is scheduled be sentenced on April 23. According to the authorities of Blair County, Hetrick faces up to 40 years for his human trafficking conviction, 20 years for his rape conviction, 10 years for his sexual exploitation conviction, and 7 years for criminally using a communication device.
In April 2021, officers began investigating Hetrick and his co-defendant, 41-year-old Nikkia Beck, after Beck’s boyfriend discovered explicit text messages on Beck’s phone between her and Hetrick. The messages discussed a juvenile female and the pair’s plan to pay the teenager to go with them to a local hotel to perform sexual acts. The victim, who was only 14 years old at the time, reported that Beck invited her and another 13-year-old girl to stay with Beck at the local Comfort Inn Suites. While at the hotel, Hetrick allegedly provided the victims with alcohol and marijuana. The 14-year-old victim reported that she woke up to Hedrick sexually assaulting her after falling asleep in an adjoining room.
Under federal law, a person is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, advertise, maintain, patronize, or solicit a person for a commercial sex act. To be charged with sex trafficking of a child, the prosecution must only prove that the defendants engaged in soliciting, enticing, harboring, obtaining, patronizing, or transporting a minor who is or will be subject to sexual servitude. Because the victim is a minor, the Government does not need to prove the defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the victim’s age. Under both federal and state law, any commercial sexual exploitation of minors constitutes sex trafficking because children cannot consent to sex.
Following Hetrick’s conviction, Blair County’s Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith stated:
“I am grateful that this community, through its juries, protects its children from the predatory sexual behavior of those who insidiously seek to harm them. No child should have to defend her choice to trust an adult. And no child or adult should have to fear their body will be debased simply because they’re too vulnerable to defend it. Being bigger, stronger, or older does not give anyone free license to satisfy their sexual perversions on those who are smaller, weaker, or younger. This office will fight to hold accountable any predator who disagrees and makes the tragic mistake of doing so within Blair County.”
The CSE Institute commends the bravery of the survivors who came forward and testified about Hetrick’s crimes. Survivor testimony is essential for changing the narrative of sex trafficking and survivors’ voices must be amplified to help victims achieve justice and hold perpetrators accountable. The CSE Institute also commends the Hollidaysburg State Police in their investigations. We urge law enforcement to continue taking steps to protect children in their communities by conducting thorough investigations into child sexual abuse. Lastly, the CSE Institute applauds the Blair County prosecutors for trying the county’s first human trafficking charges by jury. We encourage prosecutors statewide to utilize Pennsylvania’s human trafficking laws more often, when appropriate. The Commonwealth’s comprehensive human trafficking law was enacted in 2014, and we would like to see continued efforts in combatting trafficking from Blair County and beyond.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates on this matter.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.