Prosecutor: Rhode Island Man Charged with Kidnapping, Human Trafficking, Sexual Assault

A Rhode Island man was arrested by local and federal agencies while actively searching for a missing 14-year-old Rhode Island girl in Somerset County earlier this week.

Paul J. Monteiro, 29, of Providence, Rhode Island, was arrested on Monday, April 6, by Franklin Township detectives and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Monteiro and the missing 14-year-old girl were located in a hotel room on World’s Fair Drive in the Somerset section of Franklin Township. Authorities learned Monteiro brought the teen from Rhode Island to New Jersey.

Monteiro was arrested and charged with first-degree human trafficking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual assault. He was held at the Somerset County Jail on $400,000 bail, cash only, authorities said.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office have joined the ongoing investigation. Detectives are investigating Monteiro’s travels from Rhode Island to New Jersey to determine whether he engaged in similar activity in locations other than Franklin Township.

Authorities urge anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533, the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).

(Photo courtesy of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office)

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