Area man formally charged in ‘potential human trafficking investigation’

A Middletown man has been formally charged on sexual assault charges in connection to a “potential human trafficking investigation.”

Isauro Garcia Cruz, 44, was indicted by a Butler County Grand Jury on charges of rape, sexual battery, sexual conduct with a minor, gross sexual imposition, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said they began investigating Cruz after reports of a relationship between him and a 15-year-old girl.

In March, the investigation led detectives to Bedford County, Virginia, where they were assisted by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI in finding Cruz and the teenager.

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Cruz was also charged with delinquency of a child in Bedford County.

Deputies said the 15-year-old girl was unaccompanied from Honduras and was placed in a sponsor’s home in Middletown by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The girl’s sponsor was Cruz’s girlfriend.

The sheriff’s office said they are investigating if the girl was a victim of human trafficking.

Cruz was extradited to Butler County where he is in jail awaiting his court date.

We will continue to follow this story.