On September 8, 2026, detectives with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Task Force located and arrested 18-year-old Braden Groves of Turlock and 18-year-old Emilio Barrera of Patterson following an investigation involving the trafficking of a 16-year-old victim.
On September 3, 2026, detectives identified the juvenile victim, who was from Anaheim, California. The investigation led detectives to Groves and Barrera. Detectives learned the two had made multiple trips to Southern California, Sacramento and several Bay Area cities, including Oakland, where they trafficked the juvenile and adult victims for commercial sex in exchange for money.
In the early morning hours of September 8, detectives arrested Groves in a motel room in Oakland, where the juvenile victim was safely recovered and released into the care of Child Protective Services. Barrera was arrested later that day in Turlock. During the investigation and arrests, detectives seized more than $11,000 in cash.
Groves and Barrera face the following charges:
PC 236.1(C) – Human Trafficking of a Minor
PC 182(A) – Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
Both remain in custody, with bail set at $900,000 each.
This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Stanislaus County Area Crime Stoppers through stancrimetips.org or call 1-866-60-CRIME.
