Gulfport police arrest six in human-trafficking, kidnapping probe
Gulfport police said in a Facebook post that they arrested six people between Jan. 22 and Feb. 4, 2026, in an ongoing investigation into human trafficking and kidnapping involving a runaway juvenile.
The suspects and their bonds, as listed by the Gulfport Police Department, are: 40-year-old Michael Eric Moses, charged with kidnapping, bond $250,000; 49-year-old Bobby Terrell Mills, charged with human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion and forcible rape, bond $1,600,000; 60-year-old Richard Sherrol Weir, charged with human trafficking, bond $250,000; 35-year-old Marcus Alan Mann, charged with human trafficking and kidnapping, bond $750,000; 41-year-old Jeffrey Devon Pruitt, charged with human trafficking, bond $250,000; and 27-year-old Latasha Ann Smith, charged with human trafficking, bond $250,000.
The department said the probe began after Child Protective Services reported a runaway juvenile. On Jan. 22, officers located the juvenile and determined Moses was holding her in a hotel room against the will of her legal guardian.
Investigators said the juvenile was allegedly held and forced to perform sexual acts for Mills between December 2025 and January 2026. The juvenile escaped through a window and Mills was arrested, the department said. During questioning, Mills told detectives two people had transported the juvenile to him and offered to sell her for about $30 and narcotics. Detectives later determined Mann and Weir facilitated transportation and sale and arrested them on warrants. Investigators identified Pruitt and Smith as transporting the juvenile to hotels along the Gulf Coast and to New Orleans for sexual acts for profit.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gulfport Police Department at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
