Placer County Law Enforcement Partnership Rescues Two Trafficked Minors and Secures Lengthy Prison Sentences for Their Exploiters
January 27, 2026 – Placer County Sheriff’s Office officials report that a traffic stop on September 30, 2024, led to the rescue of two 15-year-old girls and the eventual conviction of the men who trafficked them, thanks to the coordinated efforts of Placer County’s law enforcement community.
Deputies with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 80 after observing a vehicle traveling 90 miles per hour. The driver, Jonathan Green, was accompanied by two juvenile girls from the Bay Area, one of whom was listed as a missing runaway. Deputies ensured both minors were safely reunited with their families, but the unusual circumstances prompted further investigation.
Recognizing red flags, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office Special Prosecution Unit partnered with the Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Persons Detective Unit to reexamine the incident. Their collaboration quickly uncovered evidence of human trafficking.
Related: Placer County Deputies Arrest Two Men for Human Trafficking of Two 15-Year-Old Female Minors
With the support of her family, one of the minors returned to Placer County for a forensic interview at the District Attorney’s Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center (MDIC). Established in 1993 through a partnership between the District Attorney’s Office and Placer County Health and Human Services, the MDIC provides trauma informed, child-centered forensic interviews conducted by specially trained professionals. This resource proved critical in uncovering the truth.
During her interview, the minor disclosed that she and her friend had been recruited on social media by a man known as “Legend,” later identified as Renardo Williams. Williams and his associate, Jonathan “Johnny Bo” Green, transported the girls to known prostitution corridors in Sacramento and Stockton, exploiting them over the course of September 29 and 30. The men planned to take the girls to Oakland but Mr. Williams made Mr. Green drop him off at a residence in Rocklin because his ankle monitor would not allow him to travel back to the Bay Area that evening. Mr. Green began driving the two girls to Oakland when they were stopped in Placer County; before deputies approached, Green instructed the girls to lie about their ages.
Detective Murchison of the Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Persons Unit launched an extensive investigation. Through analysis of cellphone data, security camera footage, and social media evidence, Detective Murchison corroborated the victim’s statements and identified “Legend” as Williams.
The investigation culminated in the arrest of both Williams and Green for trafficking the two minors.
On November 25, 2025, Senior Deputy District Attorney Devan Portillo of the Special Prosecution Unit secured convictions against both defendants for human trafficking of a minor under Penal Code §236.1(c)(1), a serious “strike” offense. Green received a sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison. Williams received fifteen years and four months. Both are required to register as sex offenders under Penal Code §290.
As we observe Human Trafficking Awareness Month, this case underscores the strength of Placer County’s coordinated law enforcement response. What began as a simple traffic stop became a lifesaving intervention, rescuing two vulnerable girls from exploitation and ensuring their traffickers were held fully accountable.
To learn more about grooming on apps and ways you can protect kids from predators visit placer.ca.gov/Guard and www.placer.ca.gov/AppSafe
Source & photos: Placer County Sheriff’s Office
