The following press release was issued by the Louisiana State Police (LSP). Melissa Matey of the LSP can be reached at (504) 471-2780.

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations and the FBI New Orleans Child Exploitation Task Force partnered together on a case that began in December 2014. After the initial case was completed, two New Orleans residents were arrested for trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and one juvenile was rescued.

Investigators received information in December 2014 related to a 17-year-old juvenile that was being held against her will and forced to perform commercial sexual acts. The juvenile was exploited for the pimp’s financial gain in the French Quarter area through online ads. Information obtained led investigators to the identity of two individuals who were subsequently arrested yesterday. Kayla Griffin (age 21) of New Orleans, Louisiana, was arrested and booked in Central Lock-Up for trafficking of children for sexual purposes and intimidating a witness. Lance Everson (age 36) of New Orleans, Louisiana, was being held in the St. Tammany Parish Jail on unrelated charges and is awaiting extradition to Orleans Parish on charges of trafficking of children for sexual purposes and pandering. The investigation is on-going and additional charges may be forthcoming.

“Sexual trafficking of children will not be tolerated in Louisiana,” said Colonel Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Superintendent. “We will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners, faith-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and community shelters in order to ensure the safety of our children. I encourage anyone that has information about human or sexual trafficking to come forward and we will investigate all allegations.” If citizens have information related to criminal activity, they are encouraged to use the “See Something, Send Something” application, which will connect them and their mobile devices to criminal intelligence centers nationwide. “See Something, Send Something” is a nationwide suspicious activity reporting (SAR) tool for citizens to help in the fight against terrorism and criminal activity. Additionally, the free app has information on what to look for and when to submit suspicious activity reports along with how to receive important alerts. The application can be found at My Mobile Witness Inc.; please visit http://www.mymobilewitness.com/consumer-services.php. This system is not intended for emergency situations. For situations requiring an immediate response, call 911 or your local law enforcement directly.

The Louisiana State Police online reporting system is also available to the public through a convenient and secure reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. Citizens can access the form by visiting www.lsp.org and clicking the Suspicious Activity link.