OAKLAND — A Sacramento man had an active arrest warrant for nearly two years before police happened upon him and arrested him on suspicion of trafficking a teen girl he met through Instagram, records show.
Darin Steele, 28, was arrested last month in Sacramento, in connection with a 2022 warrant on charges of human trafficking and pimping. He was arraigned last month in Oakland and was subsequently released from jail, with a court order that he attend an upcoming hearing in September.
The victim, described by police as a then-16-year-old girl, told Oakland investigators in November 2022 that she met Steele on Instagram and that he began trafficking her shortly after their initial contact. She said she spent a week with him, staying in Oakland hotels and walking high prostitution areas, and that he “provided her with protection and gave her transportation,” police said in court records.
Police obtained a warrant for Steele that same month, which remained active until his arrest on Aug. 23. Police say hotel records and vehicle information was consistent with the girl’s statement.
