ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — An Arapahoe County jury convicted a 34-year-old man on multiple counts related to human trafficking after a 2020 traffic stop led to the discovery of two runaway teenagers in his vehicle.
Kenneth T. Noel, a Texas area resident, was convicted of attempting human trafficking of a minor, human trafficking of an adult, pimping, and sexual assault on a child, according to a Wednesday news release from the 18th Judicial District.
Noel was arrested on June 10, 2020, in Arapahoe County after a Colorado State Patrol Trooper, conducting traffic enforcement operations on Interstate 70, pulled his black BMW SUV over.
The two teenagers, who believed they were headed to Las Vegas to work as strippers, were rescued and reunited with their guardians, according to the news release.
“It's hard to fathom the danger they could have faced if that trooper hadn't intervened and stopped that SUV. The adult victim showed tremendous strength coming back to Colorado to tell her story and make sure her trafficker was held accountable,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kremin in the news release.
A search of Noel's car and phone revealed evidence of pimping, prostitution, and sex trafficking. Investigators also found multiple commercial sex advertisements that were tied to Noel, some of which appeared in Denver.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 23, 2025.
Colorado has a hotline for reporting human trafficking: 1-866-455-5075 or text "HELP" to 720-999-9724.
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