ST. GEORGE, Utah, March 16, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A man sought by Virginia law enforcement officials for felony strangulation was arrested in St. George for investigation of aggravated human trafficking.
Denzel Jerome Waddy, 33, was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility on Thursday for investigation of aggravated human trafficking, a first-degree felony; and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, a second-degree felony.
Police were looking for a vehicle believed to be driven by the wanted man and found it parked outside a motel on St. George Boulevard, says a probable cause statement filed by an officer of the Washington County Drug Task Force.
The report from Virginia law officials said Waddy was believed to be traveling with an at-risk woman. The front desk directed officers to the room associated with the car.
“Officers knocked on the door, and minutes later, a female came out of the room wearing fishnet leggings and was wrapped in a blanket,” Waddy’s affidavit says. “She initially gave a false name but was later identified as (the at-risk woman). She was escorted to a patrol vehicle, where she sat to stay warm due to the cold weather.”
Waddy exited the room and was taken into custody despite initially giving a false name.
The victim was later allowed to go back to the motel room to dress, then agreed to go to the St. George Police Department for an interview.
She “then confirmed her name and told us that she was being forced to engage in sex work by Waddy, that he had been physically assaulting her, and that he had strangled her while they were in Las Vegas. She explained that Waddy would arrange for her to perform sex acts so they could get money, food, or rooms. She said that Waddy told her that he had found a room for them for the night but that she was going to need to work for it.”
The woman said “she believed that would mean she had to engage in sex work. She confirmed that sex acts were performed” in the motel room.
The woman also “showed me pictures of marks on her neck, a cigarette burn on her chest, and a black eye from an incident that occurred in Las Vegas a few weeks prior. She explained that he did that to her when she expressed she didn’t want to keep having sex with other men because she felt Waddy would treat her differently. When I asked if she felt in danger, she stated that Waddy told her, ‘If I can’t have you, no one will.’
“We observed photos of her that appeared to be heavily edited with filters. These pictures, she confirmed, were used in sex work advertisements.”
An inmate at the Purgatory Correctional Facility confirmed he had sexual contact with the woman. She said Waddy had pulled off her stretch pants and told her to do sexual things with the man. The woman told officers “all of her sexual boundaries were crossed.”
The affidavit says the woman told the interviewer “she had been assaulted by Waddy and felt in danger.”
Waddy was ordered to be held without bail.
