DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES: SEX TRAFFICKER ADMITS PROMOTING PROSTITUTION
OF A CHILD
The defendant was charged earlier this year after a joint investigation of
the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy Center and the Kingston Police Department. The investigation revealed that the defendant
was prostituting a sixteen year old child.
This is the first felony conviction for child trafficking in Ulster
County since the Ulster County Department of Social Services was selected to
receive funds under the Safe Harbour Program run the by New York State Office
for Family and Child Services. While the
Safe Harbour Program is primarily aimed at protecting and securing services for
sexually exploited youth, the monies are also used for raising community
awareness and training of both service providers and law enforcement.
The success of this case was the result of the collaborative response both
by law enforcement and by the Ulster County Department of Social Services. Parties from every agency involved including
the Ulster County Probation Department, the legal offices of the Department of
Social Services and the Safe Harbour Critical Team worked together to allow
swift action to be taken against this perpetrator and give the child victim an
opportunity to receive services and get out of “the life” as it is commonly called.
The case is being prosecuted by Ulster County Special Victims Bureau
Chief Katherine R. Van Loan. The defendant
is represented by John Evans, Esq., a member of the Dutchess County Public
Defender’s assigned due to a conflict with the Ulster County Public Defender’s
Office. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on
February 16, 2017 in Ulster County Court.
