WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A West Palm Beach man is facing multiple charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Michigan.
Genesee County, Michigan, Sheriff Christopher Swanson said Peter Pejic, 22, preyed on the girl for days, claiming he would pay her in cryptocurrency through gaming and chat apps.
"What had happened was you have a 22-year-old guy from West Palm Beach, Florida, that used Instagram to groom this little gir,l who's 12 years old, rented a car, drove up to Flint and picked her up at midnight, took her to a local hotel and sexually assaulted her," Swanson said.
Swanson said he then returned to Florida.
The sheriff's office was notified after the young girl was taken to a hospital. The sheriff said this is not the only incident in which Pejic is suspected.
"At that point, our investigation showed that not only did he do it in Flint, Michigan, but he also, from then till now, flew to Washington state and assaulted a 16-year-old and then went from Washington to Oregon and assaulted a 14-year-old," Swanson said.
His arrest came just days ago in South Florida.
Pejic was taken into custody Sunday and flown back to Michigan, where Swanson met him at a Detroit airport.
Somi Ali works with No More Tears, an organization that works with people who have been trafficked.
"South Florida is, unfortunately, the hub of human trafficking," she said. "It's a big problem."
Palm Beach County ranks third in the state for trafficking incidents.
"We've had kids as young as 2-years-old that were being trafficked on the dark web," Ali said. "So, it's bringing in over $160 billion a year. It's a huge business and it's growing. It's a pandemic."
Authorities in Flint told WPTV it's too early to tell if there could be more victims. The sheriff's office is still gathering information.
