VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — A man who is facing a slew of charges, including human trafficking, after a missing Washington teen was found in his South Haven home has been denied bond.
Keith Freerksen, 30, was arrested Wednesday after law enforcement tracked a missing 14-year-old girl from the Seattle area to his home.
He has been charged with the following:
- Two counts of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity
- Two counts of using a computer to commit a crime
- One count of criminal sexual conduct 1st degree
- Three counts of criminal sexual conduct 3rd degree
- One count accosting a child for immoral purposes
Freerksen has a previous conviction of possession of child pornography out of Florida dating back to 2017, according to Michigan's Sex Offender Registry.
Freerksen appeared in court virtually Friday afternoon in front of Judge Arthur Clarke in Van Buren County, where Clarke said Freersken is considered by the court to be a danger to the public and a flight risk. He was denied bond.
The 14-year-old had been missing since Jan. 6.
Authorities said a suspect vehicle traveled from Michigan to Washington, then back to Michigan again. Investigators identified the suspect's vehicle and waited for it to return to the South Haven property before executing the search warrant.
When deputies arrested Freerksen, they also found the missing teen on the property.
The teen's mother said her daughter reportedly met Freerksen on a social platform called Omegle. Omegle is an online chatroom service that allows users to meet strangers at random.
The site shut down in November.
On Friday, the mother spoke at a press conference in Van Buren County, where she thanked law enforcement for rescuing her daughter and called for more accountability from social media sites.
"This is a call to action: This predator was able to use social media platforms to reach my child from across the country. He was able to use these platforms to groom my child over an extended period of time. How many more children have to be victimized before these social media platforms are held to a higher standard? How many more families have to suffer the way mine has?" she said. "The lack of accountability not only puts my child at risk for online predation, but leaves all children at the mercy of those who seek them out online. This is a time for change."
Freerksen is also expected to be charged with crimes in Washington as well.
If convicted, he could face life in prison.
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