Man forces 15-year-old girl into prostitution sentenced to 35 years
HOUSTON - Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Raven Ryon Lovings Jr., 33, was convicted of forcing a 15-year-old girl into prostitution in 2019 on Monday.
According to officials, Lovings met the girl after she had run away from home and also met a woman, Imani Jean Cole, 26.
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Officials say Cole assisted Lovings into getting the girl into prostitution.
Cole was arrested in 2019 and released on bond and eventually re-arrested in June 2023. A judge set Cole's bail at $10,000.
Lovings Jr was arrested in Humble in October 2019 by special agents of the Texas Department of Public Safety after officials located the girl.
Authorities say the girl was missing for a month and her family had contacted authorities.
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Texas DPS investigators were able to find the girl after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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"The youth in our community are vulnerable and when someone exploits them, like in this case, we have prosecutors who are dedicated to bringing these offenders to justice," Ogg said. "We work closely with law enforcement and the families of victims to ensure that we collect all of the evidence we need, especially data and digital communications, so we can ensure that justice is done.
Assistant District Attorney Barbara Phillips, who is assigned to the DA’s adult sex crimes division, and ADA Lucas Baty, who is assigned to the DA’s trafficking/exploitation division, prosecuted Lovings.
"The investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety did an amazing job of collecting evidence, including text messages, online messaging and ads," Phillips said. "The jury was able to see everything that this defendant was doing and what was done on his behalf. It was a mountain of evidence."