A 33-year-old man is behind bars & facing charges after Southfield Police uncovered a multi-state human-trafficking operation involving victims as young as 17.
Randolph Lewis, of Arlington, Texas, was arrested at a hotel on Telegraph Road around 3 a.m. on July 21. Officers responded to a disturbance call and encountered a 21-year-old woman from Louisiana, who said Lewis broke her windshield after getting upset over an incorrect food order & took her belongings from their hotel room.
What began as a property damage complaint quickly escalated.
Officers noticed the woman appeared fearful and hesitant during questioning—raising red flags. She told police Lewis had rented three hotel rooms.
Eventually, she revealed that she had been trafficked by Lewis for about a year. The two met in Louisiana and frequently traveled between there and Dallas. In recent weeks, she had been moved through St. Louis, Chicago, and finally to Southfield.
The woman said she saw multiple clients at the hotel and that her services were advertised online. Lewis allegedly kept all the earnings and denied her access to any money. She reported that he used control tactics such as withholding her property, isolating her, and moving her frequently. She didn’t even realize she was in Michigan until speaking with officers—underscoring how often she had been transported across state lines.
She said they fled Louisiana after another woman being trafficked by Lewis contacted police. The victim estimated Lewis allegedly had trafficked up to 10 women, but could not provide their contact information.
Inside the three hotel rooms, detectives discovered condoms, sex toys, lubricants, and multiple electronic devices believed to be tied to the operation.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said traffickers prey on vulnerable women—those who may be homeless, runaways, or simply in need of money.
After his arrest, Lewis struck his head in jail and was taken to the hospital. Chief Barren said it was intentional, possibly to delay court proceedings or claim police misconduct. (News & information release only)
