Authorities have arrested a man after they say a woman was taken on harrowing sex trafficking trip that began at the Super Bowl in Tampa and ended two weeks later with her escaping in South Florida.
Rodney Latzzis, 32, was behind bars Wednesday, accused of sex trafficking a woman across the southeastern United States after the Super Bowl in February.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office says Latzzis even branded the victim with a tattoo to mark her has his property.
The incident began when the victim met Latzzis at a Tampa strip club just before Super Bowl weekend and that she ended up going to a hotel with him, authorities said.
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Authorities said Latzzis took the woman’s purse and beat her, then forced her to have sex for money over a two-week period.
Latzzis took the woman from Tampa to Jacksonville, then to North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.
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They eventually ended up in Miami-Dade and at a hotel in Aventura on Feb. 20, where authorities said Latzzis beat the woman inside a car. She managed to get into the hotel lobby and ask for help, and people inside called police.
Latzzis drove off before police arrived but was captured in Orange County and returned to Miami-Dade, authorities said.
He now faces nine different charges, including human trafficking, renting a space for prostitution and coercing prostitution.
Latzzis appeared in court Wednesday, where his bond was set at $132,000. The judge told him even if he gets out of jail at some juncture, he can’t go near the woman.
"I feel like I am being convicted of these crimes without even having a fair trial, a bond of $132,000," Latzzis said.
