An Arapahoe County jury found a 34-year-old man guilty of multiple charges related to human trafficking after he was arrested during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 70.

Kenneth Noel was convicted of attempting human trafficking of a minor, human trafficking of an adult, pimping and sexual assault on a child in connection to his arrest on June 10, 2020, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Noel was in a black BMW SUV with temporary tags from Texas on I-70 in Arapahoe County in the afternoon that day when a Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled the vehicle over for driving in the left lane without a nearby hazard or vehicle to pass.

A woman was driving the vehicle, Noel was in the passenger seat and two 14-year-old girls were in the backseat.

The trooper identified Noel, a man from outside of Houston, and the two girls gave the trooper fake names. After questioning, the girls revealed their real identities. The trooper found that they were both reported runaways, according to the release.

During interviews, the teens said they were on their way to Las Vegas to work as strippers. The vehicle was heading the opposite direction of Las Vegas. Furthermore, one teen claimed Noel had assaulted her the night before.

In the car, troopers found multiple items tied to pimping, prostitution and sex trafficking, including condoms, multiple hotel receipts and a large number of women’s lingerie in different sizes, according to the release.

A search of Noel’s telephone and Internet history revealed multiple text messages and payments, consistent with human trafficking operations. Investigators also found multiple commercial sex advertisements in Denver, Dallas, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City. Some of the advertisements included the woman driver.

Noel is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23.

“An observant trooper conducting a traffic stop for a relatively minor infraction ultimately led to the arrest of a pimp,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kremin said in the release. “I’m grateful that these two teenagers were rescued and safely reunited with their guardians. It’s hard to fathom the danger they could have faced if that trooper hadn’t intervened and stopped that SUV. The adult victim showed tremendous strength coming back to Colorado to tell her story and make sure her trafficker was held accountable.”