Human trafficking survivor thankful for Columbus Police crackdown

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – A major human trafficking bust this week has one woman speaking out.  Felicia Snell is a survivor of sex trafficking.  She’s thankful the Columbus Police Department is cracking down on this crime.

“It’s miserable. It’s a lonely lonely place to be and you really do feel like nobody cares,” said Snell.

Snell thanks god she can speak about her experience with sex trafficking, as a survivor, but the painful mental scars remain. One particular night she said a man threw her from a moving semi truck.

“I could have got ran over. I had broken all my fingers and cars kept on going past me. Nobody stopped,” said Snell.

She said her pimp ordered one of his other girls to clean her up, but did not take her to the hospital. He gave her crack instead.

“When I went back to my pimp, you know it or not, he cared, but only to put me back out there in another hour,” said Snell.

Up until three years ago, she endured this type of abuse since age 15.

“Everything that I lacked from a father, I seek it from other men, and that’s how I got drawn in. You’re cute. You’re pretty. You’re so young, let me dress you up. I liked it,” said Snell.

Snell said that was only her predator grooming her for manipulation.   She soon would end up stuck in a life of sex, drugs and violence. One day she says was a $1.50 short and her pimp locked her in the basement fighting off dogs from biting her.

“Who can be that cruel,” said Snell.

It wasn’t until someone from the Freeman Project reminded her that there’s more to life than what she’s was living.  It’s a message she wants someone trapped in sex work to hear right now.

“Get out. Call the police. Call somebody. You don’t have to live this. You don’t deserve this,” said Snell.