COMPTON : Man Faces Slavery Charges in Alleged Bid to Buy Child
A Lynwood man accused of trying to buy a 5-year-old girl from her mother faces prosecution under a seldom-used 1901 slavery law, authorities said.
Luis Del Valle, 31, was being held Monday in lieu of $50,000 bail after his arraignment in Compton Municipal Court on three counts of slavery and two counts of attempted slavery, Deputy Dist. Atty. Larry Donahue said.
Del Valle was arrested by sheriff’s deputies Thursday during a stakeout at Lindbergh Elementary School in Compton after approaching the girl’s mother as she walked her child home, authorities said.
Investigators said the man had approached the mother with offers for the girl on four previous occasions, and that he was believed to have made similar offers to at least two other parents.
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