East Palo and San Jose Police Rescue Human Trafficking Victim

While investigating a missing person case, detectives with the East Palo Alto Police Department contacted the San Jose Police Department's Human Trafficking Task Force regarding a possible human trafficking incident in San Jose.

The young survivor was reported missing from East Palo Alto on February 25 and was found on March 25 by East Palo Alto detectives and San Jose uniformed officers in the trunk of a vehicle at a San Jose residence .

Detectives determined the young survivor had been held against her will, threatened and forced to engage in commercial sex acts in exchange for money by a man identified as Jolaun Canton, 22, of San Jose.

On April 20, San Jose officers conducted an unrelated vehicle stop in Canton.

The suspect fled on foot during the stop and after a foot pursuit, officers were able to apprehend and arrest Canton. A privately made firearm, commonly known as a ghost gun, was also recovered from the scene. Canton was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on charges of eluding officers and criminal possession of a firearm.

Detectives were immediately notified and, with the assistance of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the charges were amended to include child sex trafficking.

The San Jose Police Department credited the East Palo Alto Police Department with safely locating the survivor.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Reyes #4530 of the San Jose Police Department Special Unit Human Trafficking Task Force at (408) 537-1999 or by email . [email protected].