Third Man Pleads Guilty in Forcing 14-Year-Old into Prostitution

A third person suspected of forcing a 14-year-old into prostitution pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in state prison, Long Beach Police officials announced today.

Larry McDowell Jr., 40, of Long Beach, entered his plea on Jan. 13.

Long Beach Police responded to a call on April 13, 2013, from a 14-year-old girl who was calling to turn herself in after being reported as a missing/runaway from a group home in Rosemead. The teen told investigators that she had been forced to work as a prostitute by McDowell, a known gang member.

The events started on April 8, when the victim met McDowell at Scherer Park in Long Beach, according to the news release. He took the teen to Los Angeles to work as a prostitute for three days, before she was transported back to Long Beach. She was forced to stay at an apartment rented by Glen Owens, a parolee and convicted sex offender, who assisted in monitoring the teen.

The investigation led detectives to a motel in the 1000 block of East 7th Street, where she was forced to engage in sex acts with a man later identified as Marvin Brown, who paid McDowell to have sex with the teen. McDowell, Owens and Brown were arrested soon after.

Brown was sentenced in May to 100 days in jail and three years probation in May. Owens, a 52-year-old Long Beach resident, was sentenced to six years in prison for procuring a minor for sex in August.