Prostituting 16-Year-Old Girl Leads To Charges Against Oldsmar Man

OLDSMAR, FL — Pinellas County sheriff's detectives have arrested an Oldsmar man for one count of human trafficking, multiple counts of having a sexual relationship with a minor and one count of possession of a controlled substance.

On July 7, detectives located a missing underage girl at the Tampa Bay Extended Stay Hotel at 6500 Ulmerton Road in Largo. When detectives made contact with her, they also found 27-year-old Xavier Dushawn Vanellison of Huron Avenue in Oldsmar hiding in the closet of the shared hotel room.

Detectives say the girl had been missing since March 23, and learned that a photo of her was posted on websites and social media platforms offering escort services.

The girl told detectives that she met Vanellison around May 2022 when she was 16 years old, and began engaging in sexual acts for money with other men for him.

According to detectives, Vanellison also had a sexual relationship with the girl and took explicit photos of her. Detectives say Vanellison created online profiles, advertising the sale of sexual acts with the teen.

On Nov. 3, detectives arrested Vanellison and charged him with one count of human trafficking, one count of unlawful sex acts with a minor, one count of child abuse, one count of possession of cocaine, 10 counts of promoting the sexual performance of a child and 11 counts of possession of child pornography.