Kentucky police charge man with human trafficking for allegedly selling his underage daughter for $8,000

Kentucky law enforcement officials have charged a man with sex trafficking after he allegedly sold his juvenile daughter to another man for $8,000.

Officials were made aware of the alleged crime after the girl gave birth to a baby boy in March.

Investigators said that 34-year-old Diego Alonzo-Perez of Beaver Dam, Kentucky, sold his daughter to 20-year-old Lucas Mateo. They alleged that she had been living with Mateo since August 2020.

Kentucky State Police began their investigation in November after finding out about the girl giving birth. Court documents claimed that she had been raped daily by the man who bought her from her father. An arrest citation said the man paid him $8,000.

"Many times we have preached that technology is the number one driver to a lot of these predatory-type crimes," said Kentucky State Police trooper Corey King to WTVW-TV, "but when it involves parents, that really, that really hits home to me, as a father myself."

Both the girl, whose identity remains private, and her baby were taken into foster care. WIVV-TV reported that the girl was 15 years old.

King said the incident was unprecedented for his department.

"Parents sold their child," said King. "That in itself is new for us here, but it's scary overall because now do some of these monsters have a face of a parent? That's really scary to me as a parent."

He added that although Kentucky ranks 26th in population, the state ranks 9th in human trafficking.

Alonzo-Perez was charged with human trafficking related to commercial sex activity and Mateo was charged with 3rd degree rape. Both are being held at the Ohio County Detention Center in Hartford.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and there may be more arrests and charges in the case.

Here's a local news report about the alarming incident:

KSP: Beaver Dam man arrested after selling juvenile daughterwww.youtube.com