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Harris County District Attorney (DA) Kim Ogg said June 12 that a $15,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest of alleged human trafficker Thaddeus Allen is an example of law enforcement's commitment to battling the sex trade.
“This reward shows how seriously we in law enforcement and local community groups are taking the fight against human trafficking and the sex trade,” Ogg said in a release from the Harris County District Attorney's Office. “Allen makes his living off the degradation and abuse of young trafficking victims. Now we want him back to serve his sentence.”
According to the release, the 34-year-old Allen is on the run, allegedly fleeing from authorities a day before a Harris County jury convicted him of human trafficking and sentenced him to 75 years in prison, the release said.
The district attorney's office originally offered a $5,000 award for Allen, to which $5,000 was added by both the Brays Oaks and Southwest management districts. Allen had appeared before a judge during the previous five days of the trial, then fled before closing arguments while he was free on $200,000 bail.
According to KHOU, authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Allen, who must serve at least half of his sentence before being deemed eligible for parole. Ogg’s office called Allen one of the “Bissonnet Track’s worst fugitive pimps." The report stated both the county and the City of Houston have made several attempts to reduce prostitution the area around southwest Houston, including denying access to the side streets that lead up to it.
KPRC recently reported that a 1.3-mile stretch has long been considered an international hub for prostitution and human trafficking, so much so it’s included on Wikipedia’s list of “Red Light” districts. During the past decade, the Track topped a list of top area hotspots for prostitution, the station reported.