On Sept. 8, a Navajo County Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to the criminal interdiction unit conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at Milepost 258 in the Winslow area. The deputy found that the driver, Julio Ramirez-Felipe, 35, of Greenfield, Calif., was traveling with a 10-year-old boy who was not related or known to him. The deputy secured the juvenile, utilized the substantial training received on recognizing and detecting signs of human trafficking and was able to determine that the child was in danger and was being trafficked. Ramirez-Felipe was arrested for assisting in human smuggling organization and was booked into Navajo County Jail. He is currently being held on an immigration detainer. Deputies at the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, specifically the deputies assigned to the criminal interdiction unit have received substantial training on recognizing and detecting signs of human trafficking. The criminal interdiction unit deputy is working with partnering investigative agencies to further investigate this incident. There is no specific age, race, or gender that is targeted for human trafficking. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, including here in Arizona. Sheriff Clouse stated, “I would like to commend my deputy for his exemplary investigative work on this traffic stop. Because of this simple traffic stop and furtherance of his investigation, an innocent child was rescued from danger. Human trafficking is a real issue that affects too many children. Thank you to the men and women who combat these issues every day.”
