Alleged Carjacking Accomplice May Have Been Sex-Trafficking Victim
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A 17-year-old girl accused of aiding in a wild carjacking spree in Jefferson County in July may have been the suspect's sex-trafficking victim, the Jefferson County District Attorney's office said.
District Attorney Peter Weir said Christopher Sullivan, the lead suspect in the case, brought the teenager into Colorado from New Mexico to lure her into prostitution. Deputies arrested the teen on July 23 during the crimes. She faces 23 counts.
The arrest affidavit says Sullivan, 37, met the girl two days before the crime spree in Albuquerque and allegedly paid her $250 for sex. He told her: "You got that innocent look" and that "she was the one," according to the affidavit.
Sullivan, the DA's office said, convinced her to travel with him to Colorado where he said, "We can make some money."
After he was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy, Sullivan led law enforcement along Interstate 70, stealing at least three cars, firing shots at residents and brandishing a rifle at motorists before being tackled on the highway.
"The real interest at (this) point is having enough control over (her) to provide appropriate services (to help her," Weir said.
Sullivan faces 48 years on the sex-trafficking charge. He's held on a $500,000 bond and is due in court on Thursday.
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