KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — What investigators say began as a walk to a store in the Katy area ended more than 130 miles away in Seguin, where a 26-year-old woman escaped after allegedly being held against her will, sexually assaulted and targeted for human trafficking.
Brian Cameron Smith, 26, and Haiyan Jayd Lee, 25, whom Seguin police identified as being from the Katy area, are charged with aggravated sexual assault and trafficking of a person. Guadalupe County jail records, reviewed by Covering Katy, list both suspects with Richmond addresses in ZIP code 77406.
Brian Cameron Smith, 26, and Haiyan Jayd Lee, 25, are charged with aggravated sexual assault and trafficking of a person following the July 29 incident. Both remain jailed in Guadalupe County on bonds totaling $2 million, with bond set at $1 million on each charge.
According to the Seguin Police Department, officers responded at approximately 12:47 a.m. July 29 to a welfare concern involving a woman yelling for help in the 1600 block of State Highway 123 Bypass. Officers located the woman at a nearby residence.
Police said the woman reported she had been kidnapped from the Katy area and sexually assaulted by two individuals. Officers located the suspects nearby and arrested them.
Victim accepted ride while walking in Katy area
Additional details released by Seguin Police Lt. Michael McCann during an interview with Houston television station KTRK indicate the woman was walking to a store when the encounter began."She was walking in the Katy area trying to go to a store. She was offered a ride," McCann said.
According to McCann, the woman did not know the two people who offered her a ride."They told her they would give her a ride to her destination there in Katy," McCann said.
Instead, investigators say the suspects drove past her destination.
"They passed her destination. She realized that they weren't gonna drop her off. She wanted to get out. They wouldn't let her out, and they continued driving westbound on I-10 until they came to Seguin," McCann said.
Seguin Police Chief Jason Grady said investigators believe the suspects intended to traffic the woman.
"They made it clear that she was not gonna be able to leave, that they were taking her out of state, and basically that they intended to sex traffic her," Grady said.
The Seguin Police Department said officers responded to a welfare concern after receiving a report of a woman yelling for help. Officers located the woman at a nearby residence and arrested the suspects nearby. Chief Jason Grady told KTRK the woman was barefoot and distraught when officers found her.
Investigators also credited a 911 caller who reported seeing something unusual.
What we know about one suspect's previous convictions
A review of Fort Bend County court records by Covering Katy News found that Smith previously pleaded guilty in connection with a 2020 criminal case involving aggravated robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
According to court records, prosecutors alleged Smith threatened another person with a firearm while committing a vehicle theft. Smith later pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, signed a judicial confession admitting the offense and accepted a plea agreement calling for a five-year prison sentence. Court records show he received credit for approximately 749 days already served in jail before sentencing.
Smith also pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a vehicle and received a two-year state jail sentence with 750 days of jail credit, effectively satisfying that sentence through time already served.
A related charge of evading arrest with a vehicle was dismissed as part of the resolution of the 2020 criminal case.
Investigation remains active
The Seguin Police Department said the investigation remains active.
Police said human trafficking can occur in any community and urged residents to remain alert to situations involving people who appear fearful, controlled, unable to speak freely or unable to leave their circumstances.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to 233733 (BEFREE). The hotline is available 24 hours a day. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911.
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The initial police news release provided only a brief summary of the arrests. Covering Katy News reviewed additional law enforcement statements and Fort Bend County court records to provide readers with a more complete understanding of how investigators say the incident began and the documented criminal history of one of the suspects. If you value original reporting built on public records rather than rewritten press releases, please consider supporting Covering Katy News with a subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE