Man convicted of pimping, human trafficking charges

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A 32-year-old man has been found guilty of multiple felonies for pimping a woman on Union Avenue, threatening and hitting her if she didn’t obey him.

Darrell Lawrence Meeken was convicted Thursday of human trafficking, pimping and pandering, according to Superior Court records. He has a court trial scheduled next month regarding his prior convictions.

A sentencing date hasn’t been set.

A review by police of dozens of text messages shows Meeken, arrested in August of last year, was in charge of and collected money from a woman with whom he’d been involved for years, according to court documents.

If she didn’t listen, Meeken hit her, police said in the documents, noting his multiple domestic violence arrests. Court records show he pleaded no contest in 2020 to felony spousal abuse.

He frequently threatened her.

On one occasion, Meeken wrote: “Watch me slap da s— outa u . . . think this a game,” according to the documents. He was upset because she wasn’t charging enough, police said.

Another time, he texted that she better make a customer use a condom or he’d beat her, documents said. He wrote he was just outside the door and could hear everything she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.