SUNSET, Utah — A Utah man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of human trafficking, unlawful sexual activity with a minor and other crimes.
A charging document alleges 47-year-old Ryan A. MacFarlane offered a ride and shelter to a teenage runaway, sexually assaulted her, and drove her to Wyoming and Colorado. There, he reportedly tried to force her to make money for him by having her offer sex acts to truck drivers.
MacFarlane is accused of abusing the girl in a rental car, a rented storage unit and his home in Sunset in late October 2017. The girl told investigators she spoke with MacFarlane about wanting to get out of Utah because she was a runaway and people would be looking for her, and that McFarlane took her to Denver via I-80.
“[The girl] also stated that along the way, MacFarlane stopped at truck stops and told [her] that they needed to make money for food and places to stay,” the document states.
MacFarlane allegedly instructed the girl about how much to charge the men and “what to do, how to do it, and what to say.” The girl told investigators she then went out of MacFarlane’s view and asked truck drivers for a ride, but they declined.
“To not make MacFarlane angry, [the girl] would tell him the truckers declined her requests,” the charging document states.
Denver officers located the girl in November 2017, and she was brought back to Utah, where she has been receiving therapy.
MacFarlane faces felony charges of aggravated human trafficking, human trafficking of a child, rape, object rape, forcible sodomy, kidnapping and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- to 17-year-old. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, unlawfully providing shelter to a runaway and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
