Gainesville, Fla. – Two men accused of kidnapping and sex trafficking in a Gainesville group home made their first court appearance Wednesday, according to court records. Police said they were able to arrest the suspects after the victim alerted staff at a local library branch to ask law enforcement.
Kevarius Nyrtell King, 20, of Gainesville, and Justin Terrel Hoyt, 25, of Newberry, were arrested by Gainesville police Tuesday afternoon at the Gate gas station at 3001 NW 13th Street, according to arrest records.
The victim told police she met King and Hoyt on Sept. 19 when she first checked into a Safe Hands group home, partnered with local homeless shelters.
Florida Division of Corporations records show King owns Safe Hands Group Home LLC, located at 1221 NW 31st Ave. Records show that the document establishing the company at the state level was registered a year ago.
From the time the victim moved into the Safe Hands group home, King and Hoyt forced her to have sex with dozens of men at the group home, according to the affidavit. In exchange for money, the victim performs sexual acts for the men, sometimes without her consent.
The victim said King and Hoyt would arrange meetings with the men at the group home and take photos and videos on their smartphones.
The victim told police they were “basically mine.”
On Sunday, the victim was forced by one of the men in the group to take a party drug known as “Molly”, a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception, and drank a bottle of brandy given to her by King & Hoyt. , according to regulatory records. She said she then had a seizure and passed out on the floor of her room for several hours.
King and Hoyt then took the victim to the Tower Road branch library where she told staff that she was a victim of human trafficking and was able to call law enforcement, according to arrest records.
Evidence gathered during a search warrant at the group’s home confirmed the identities of King and Hoyt. Police arrested the two men driving a dark blue Hyundai on NW 31st Avenue. They were in possession of photos and videos from the victim’s identified phone, as well as the phone taken by King and Hoyt.
Not only did King and Hoyt keep the victim in a group home and profit from her sex, they also controlled her finances by withholding her Supplemental Security Income checks. The victim also told police that the two men were trying to open a bank account in her name.
King and Hoyt were arrested six months ago at the same address on suspicion of prior sex trafficking and prostitution at a group home, according to arrest records.
In the year In 2016, Hoyt was charged with child neglect, driving under the influence and attempted sexual battery, according to court records.
Both King and Hoyt were booked into the Alachua County Jail Tuesday night, pending arraignment, according to county jail records. Their bail was set at $250,000 each.
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