Moore
A 45-year-old Freetown man faces charges of sexual trafficking, attempted rape and sexual misconduct after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a sexual assault involving a 15-year-old.
Bradley Moore was arrested Monday at the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown after admitting to Detective J.L. McElfresh he had requested and paid $50 for a sexually explicit image from the teen on Feb. 3. Moore also admitted to fondling and performing oral sex on the child the following morning.
Moore is facing Level 3 felony charges of promotion of sexual trafficking and attempted rape and a Level 5 felony charge of sexual misconduct with a minor.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Moore told McElfresh the explicit image was sent to him via Snapchat. A DNA sample was collected from Moore and his phone was confiscated for evidence before he was arrested.
On Monday, McElfresh spoke with the child about the incident, and they said they were in shock and pretended to be asleep during the incident. Afterwards, the child found someone to pick them up from the home where the incident occurred.
McElfresh collected DNA samples and the child’s cellphone to hold as evidence.
According to the charge information filed in Jackson Circuit Court, Moore was charged with promotion of sexual trafficking because he knowingly or intentionally enticed the victim who was younger than 16 with the intent of inducing or causing the victim to participate in sexual conduct.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported in 2021, there had been 123 cases of human trafficking involving 176 victims identified in Indiana.
Those numbers, however, only reflect the reports to the National Human Trafficking Hotline as Indiana currently does not have a unified state database for human trafficking statistics or a centralized reporting mechanism.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant said human trafficking is a rapidly growing crime that often goes unreported. As the number of cases continues to rise each year, legislation continues to crack down on this complex issue.
Just this year, the Indiana General Assembly is considering a measure, House Bill 1362, which will require employee and staff members of schools to complete child sexual trafficking prevention training.
The Southern Indiana Human Trafficking Coalition provides a variety of resources in different counties, such as emergency shelters, case management and counseling services. For contact regarding resources, call 812-267-2113.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 888-373-7888 or text “BEFREE” or “HELP” to 233733.