Sold for Sex: Sex trafficking plagues New Mexico women, but no one’s sure how many

Sold for Sex: Sex trafficking plagues New Mexico women, but no one’s sure how many

From the Santa Fe Reporter

In 2015, Dallas Grassbaugh was 23, homeless and supporting a debilitating drug habit by selling her body for sex. Then she met Shane Roach. She’d already escaped two sex traffickers by then, and Roach, an aspiring hip-hop artist from Albuquerque, promised he could help and protect her.

Roach bought her a meal and drove her to a motel, where she rented a room. Inside, he took away her cellphone and ID and told Grassbaugh she now belonged to him.

He imposed several rules: She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without him or contact anyone without his approval. She was required to call him “Daddy.” For insurance, Roach reminded her that he knew where her father and brother lived. And he showed her a picture of her grandmother’s house in another state.