The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a man wanted on suspicion of human trafficking and pimping.
Anthony Craig Richardson Gaines, 33, was taken into custody in Modesto last month.
Sheriff's officials say he was originally contacted by authorities in April when investigators with the sheriff's Counter Human Trafficking Team attempted an operation to rescue a potential human trafficking victim who was pregnant.
Sheriff's officials say the victim and Richardson were contacted through an undercover prostitution sting, but both were released because of COVID-19 concerns, the state's zero bail policy, and the need for further investigation.
The Counter Human Trafficking Team was later able to secure a warrant for Richardson and arrested him with the help of the Modesto Police Department, according to the sheriff's office.
Richardson was extradited back to San Luis Obispo County and is currently in custody at the county jail on $550,000 bond.
The Counter Human Trafficking Team is a new division of the sheriff's office. It went into operation in January 2020.
