MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- Investigators say Darrian Robison is the youngest person ever charged with sex trafficking in Marion County.
At only 18 years old, deputies say Robison encouraged a 17-year-old runaway from the Heart of Florida Youth Ranch to sell her body for sex.
According to police, Robison even sent naked pictures of the victim to her pimp to see how much she was worth. "That's normally what the females do. They will recruit other young females to come into the pimp's stable," said Jerry Bevan.
Bevan is in charge of the Special Victims Unit and says he isn't surprised. The Marion County Sheriff Department has been working on 20 trafficking cases in the past two years.
"This isn't something that is happening in China and Taiwan. It's happening right here in Marion County," he said.
Investigators have been looking for Robison for the past year after she ran away from the youth ranch. And though now she is facing sex trafficking charges, police also believe she was a victim.
"You have to think that every runaway case could lead to this. The men and women who are forcing children into this, prey on runaways," said Investigator Michael Mongoluzzo.
This is the third confirmed case of human trafficking in Marion County since 2009. Robison's pimp was also arrested in May. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will also serve 10 years of sex offender probation.