A Santa Barbara County prosecutor is working to extradite a man suspected of trafficking at least two women locally after the suspect was arrested two weeks ago in Las Vegas.
Marcale Emon Alexander, who is from the Bakersfield area, was arrested on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas by officers from the North Las Vegas Police Department, according to Jennifer Karapetian, prosecutor with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
He was arrested on drug charges as well as driving without a a valid license and resisting an officer.
Law enforcement announced they had been searching for Alexander earlier this year. He is suspected of human trafficking and had been associated with Brianna Jackson-Robinson, who pleaded guilty to pandering, a felony charge that involves procuring another person for the purposes of prostitution.
Jackson-Robinson was sentenced to three years in state prison in August, and her arrest came after an 18-year-old victim contacted a human-trafficking hotline on the same day.
Santa Maria police officers responded to the victim’s location, the Santa Maria Greyhound Bus Station, and took Jackson-Robinson into custody; she was there with the victim, according to authorities.
They continued to search for Alexander, who allegedly was working as a pimp with Robinson.
Alexander’s crimes are alleged to have taken place across California as well as outside the state.
The complaint against him states that he is suspected of human trafficking of a minor by force or duress on or between July 13 and Aug. 7, 2014.
Alexander allegedly “willfully and unlawfully caused, induced or persuaded” a girl, identified only as Jane Doe, used promises, threats or violence to persuade and encourage her to become a prostitute. He also is charged with pandering of a minor 16 years of age.
A third count against Alexander alleges he and Jackson-Robinson committed human trafficking between Feb. 1 and March 9, 2015.
The complaint also said that during that February to March timeframe, both Jackson-Robinson and Alexander unlawfully procured a second person, listed as Jane Doe 2, for the purpose of prostitution.
Karapetian said that she wasn’t sure when a court date for Alexander would result.
“It depends on a lot of factors, such as how long the criminal proceedings take in Las Vegas,” she said. “We are hoping to have Marcale Alexander extradited as soon as possible after the Las Vegas case is concluded.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
