AURORA | A Texas man accused of pimping and trafficking two teenagers and an adult woman, and sexually assaulting one of the teens, was sentenced Friday to 36 years to life in prison, according to Arapahoe County prosecutors.
Kenneth T. Noel, 34, was found guilty in February of trafficking minors as well as an adult, pimping and child sex assault in the case, all felonies.
Noel was arrested in June 2020 when he was stopped during what prosecutors said was a routine traffic stop on an undisclosed part of Interstate 70 somewhere in Arapahoe County.
“The trooper noticed an SUV with temporary tags driving in the left lane with no traffic around it,” 18th Judicial District officials said in a statement. “In Colorado, drivers on I-70 should stay in the right lane unless actively passing another vehicle or avoiding a road hazard.”
Court officials did not disclose why the case took nearly five years to get to trial and sentencing.
Investigators said when the officer pulled over the car, it was being driven by an adult female, and Noel was a passenger. There were two teen girls in the back seat.
“The two female passengers in the back initially gave the trooper fake names,” 18th Judicial District spokesperson Eric Ross said in a statement. “When questioned further, the trooper was able to identify the two teenagers as runaway juveniles. Both were 14-years-old at the time of the traffic stop and told the trooper they were on their way to Nevada to work as strippers.”
During an investigation, one of the victims said she had been assaulted by Noel the night before they were pulled over in Arapahoe County.
During the trial, prosecutors linked Noel to online advertisements for sex and trafficking, some of which included the adult female in the car.
“Further investigation revealed these sex ads appeared in cities across the United States,” Ross stated.
The 36-year prison sentence is two months short of the maximum, officials said.
“Sadly, human trafficking is a multi billion-dollar industry in the United States,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kremin said in a statement. “Statistics show that victims who are subjected to human trafficking at 13 or 14-years-old simply will likely not live to see their 21st birthday if they don’t escape this illegal enterprise.”
The U.S. Administration for Children and Families reports that young victims of trafficking often die at a young age from a variety of causes.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Mar Michalek credited the state trooper who was skeptical during the traffic stop and reported seeing signs of a trafficking crime.
“After nearly five years, with assistance along the way from FBI Kansas City and FBI Houston, as well as support from community service providers,- the survivors were able to watch a judge sentence their abuser to prison, where he won’t be able to victimize additional juveniles or adults.”
Anyone who is a victim of trafficking or suspects someone else may be a victim can call a special state hotline at 1-866-455-5075 or text “HELP” to 720-999-9724.