On October 30, Ki-Shawn Crumity, 26, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested on charges of trafficking in individuals, sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor, and inducement of minors to buy liquor or malt or brewed beverages.
Crumity was charged in connection to a missing 13-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who was found alive by authorities in a box covered with a sheet in a home basement in Pittsburgh. Evidence reportedly revealed that the 13-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted. Investigators in connection with the case also arrested and charged Ronald Smith, 62, in Columbus, Georgia, and Alvin Hanson, 64, in New Orleans. Smith is accused of simple kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Hanson was arrested on a count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Officials reported that the 13-year-old girl had disappeared on or around October 20 after meeting Crumity through social media. Crumity allegedly met the girl on Snapchat and told her that he would arrange an adoption. Smith and Hanson reportedly brought the teenager from Baton Rouge to Georgia before putting her on a Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, the girl met a woman at the bus station, messaged Crumity, and traveled to Crumity’s home.
Crumity allegedly provided the teenager with alcohol and edibles in addition to engaging in sexual acts with her over several days. Crumity was arrested after Pittsburgh SWAT officers executed a search warrant discovering the missing teenager.
Crumity’s arrest follows a week-long investigation that began in Louisiana. United States Marshals were contacted by local police and tracked the case across several states. A police SWAT team raided Crumity’s home after the FBI obtained a search warrant. The search was launched after the Pittsburgh Police Special Victims Unit received a report from the United States Marshals Service.
Crumity’s bail has been denied at the Allegheny County Jail. An active and ongoing federal investigation is underway as well. Officials have also stated that more charges and further arrests are expected. The teenager is now in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Child and Family Services.
This case clearly exemplifies the elements of trafficking. Under Pennsylvania law, a person is guilty of trafficking if they recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, advertise, maintain, patronize, or solicit a person who is subject to sexual servitude through the means of force, fraud, or coercion. To convict an individual of child trafficking, the prosecution need only prove that the defendant committed one of these acts; the prosecution does not need to establish the means element of force, fraud or coercion. Under both federal and state law, the sale of a child for sex equates to sex trafficking because minors cannot consent to being bought or sold for sex acts. Here, Hanson facilitated the minor’s exploitation by allegedly providing her with food and arranging her transportation. Crumity reportedly promised and enticed the victim with something of value by helping to facilitate an adoption by a trusted adult for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts. In addition, the traffickers’ use of Snapchat to contact and manipulate the victim showcases how social media platforms have increasingly become tools for traffickers to identify, groom, and exploit vulnerable children. If the facts reported are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the accused individuals have clearly satisfied the acts element of trafficking under Pennsylvania law.
The CSE Institute applauds the efforts of the Louisiana State Police, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the FBI, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, and Pittsburgh SWAT for successfully finding the missing child and arresting Crumity, Smith, and Hanson. The CSE Institute also commends the Pittsburgh Police Special Victims Unit for filing the charges against Crumity. The CSE Institute celebrates the commitment of these law enforcement agencies and individuals for their determined efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of children,
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.