Two Stanislaus County 18-Year-Olds Arrested During Juvenile Human Trafficking Investigation

September 11, 2026 – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on September 8, 2026, detectives with the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Task Force located and arrested 18-year-old Braden Groves of Turlock and 18-year-old Emilio Barrera of Patterson following an investigation involving the trafficking of a 16-year-old victim.

Arrest and charges

On September 3, 2026, detectives identified the juvenile victim, who was from Anaheim, California. The investigation led detectives to Groves and Barrera.

Detectives learned the two had made multiple trips to Southern California, Sacramento and several Bay Area cities, including Oakland, where they trafficked the juvenile and adult victims for commercial sex in exchange for money.

In the early morning hours of September 8, detectives arrested Groves in a motel room in Oakland, where the juvenile victim was safely recovered and released into the care of Child Protective Services.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Stanislaus County Area Crime Stoppers through stancrimetips.org or call 1-866-60-CRIME.

Charges and court proceedings

Barrera was arrested later that day in Turlock. During the investigation and arrests, detectives seized more than $11,000 in cash.

Both remain in custody, with bail set at $900,000 each. This investigation remains ongoing.