A San Rafael police corporal with expertise in human trafficking arrested a man last week on suspicion of that crime after she found a teenage girl passed out in the back seat of a vehicle during a traffic stop, police said Wednesday.
Cpl. Lilah Gavlick was on patrol around 2:30 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of Francisco Boulevard East when she noticed a silver Mercedes-Benz driving through the parking lot of a motel without a front license plate as required by state law.
The corporal pulled over the vehicle in the area of Bellam Boulevard and the on-ramp to eastbound Interstate Highway 580 and saw three males in the car along with a female in the backseat who appeared to be passed out and unresponsive with a short dress and no shoes on, police said.
Gavlick, who routinely represents the city to discuss human trafficking, eventually was able to communicate with the female, who identified herself as a 17-year-old girl from Modesto, according to police.
The corporal became concerned that the girl could be a victim of human trafficking and talked to the vehicle’s driver, Jayvon Gunn, who allegedly made admissions that led Gavlick to believe he was possibly trafficking the girl.
Gunn was eventually arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and pimping, and the 17-year-old was interviewed and released to a family member.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call San Rafael police at (415) 485-3000.
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