The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Courtney Davenport, 43, from San Jose had been sentenced to 10 years in state prison on one count of human trafficking of an adult for commercial sex purposes and one count of domestic violence. In addition to the prison sentence, Davenport will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The Salinas Police Department got a 911 call back in February 2023 from a Jane Doe, an adult and resident of Wisconsin, who was calling from a restaurant on Kern Street. When police arrived, she explained that her boyfriend, Davenport, had hit her after she refused to leave their motel room and engage in commercial sex work for Davenport’s financial benefit according to the release from the DA’s Office. In response, Davenport allegedly struck Jane Doe in the eye with his elbow. As she was speaking with police, Davenport came out of a different restaurant and started yelling. He was detained and found to be in possession of a knife, said police.
Police conducted multiple interviews, searched the motel room and searched through cell phones to find that Davenport appeared to have been forcing Jane Doe to engage in sex acts for his financial gain. This included forcing Jane Doe to abide by a set of strict rules which controlled her movements though tracking, held financial control over her day-to-day activities and threatened her with violence whenever she refused.
Police say Davenport controlled what sex acts Jane Doe would perform, for whom she would perform them, how much she had to charge and how much she had to make each before she was allowed to return to their motel room.
Law enforcement authorities ask that if you or someone you know is being forced to engage in commercial sex work or some other type of labor, call 911 or reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.