Oakland man accused of trafficking women in Stanislaus County, sheriff says
Detectives with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office have arrested an Oakland man accused of trafficking multiple women in the Turlock area following a months-long investigation, authorities said.
On October 8, members of the department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking (H.E.A.T.) Taskforce arrested Devonte Hinkston, 33, on suspicion of two counts of pimping and two counts of pandering, according the the Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center, where he remained held Tuesday in lieu of $300,000 bail.
The investigation began in May 2025, when a woman reported an assault and theft to deputies in an unincorporated area near Turlock. During that investigation, she disclosed that she was being sexually trafficked, the Sheriff’s Office said.
In the months that followed, investigators identified several additional victims who were also allegedly involved in commercial sex trafficking facilitated by Hinkston, according to the department.
Detectives did not specify where the trafficking occurred or how Hinkston allegedly recruited victims.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Taskforce at (209) 525-7114 or submit an anonymous tip to Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at (866) 602-7463.
