New details emerge on man accused of human trafficking, other sex crimes

A man facing felony and misdemeanor charges related to accusations of human trafficking paid one female $25 for sex and refused to pay a second, according to court documents.

The man, Tracy Releford, 50, was arrested Aug. 17 and faces one felony count of aggravated human trafficking, one felony count of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, one felony count of promoting the sale of sexual relations and one misdemeanor count of buying sexual relations.

Tracy Releford

According to a recently released arrest affidavit, Releford was propositioned on Aug. 15 by a 20-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl outside a liquor store at the intersection of West Sixth and Florida streets.

An arrest affidavit is a document filed by police explaining the probable cause for an arrest. Allegations in an arrest affidavit must still be proved in court.

Releford and a friend later met up with the woman and the girl, and the four drove to Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo., the affidavit said. There, allegedly, Releford had sex with one of the two, while his friend had sex with the other.

Because the names of the alleged victims were redacted in the court documents, it was not clear whom Releford is accused of having sex with.

Releford paid one female $25 for having sex with his friend, the affidavit says. Releford refused to pay the second female, however, arguing he and she did not complete the act.

The two females began to argue with Releford, saying he owed them money, the affidavit says. Eventually police were called to their location on Florida Street to quell the argument.

Releford was arrested at the scene and taken to Lawrence’s Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., where he was interviewed by police, the affidavit said. There, Releford said he believed the females to be 21 and 19 years old.

Releford also told police he paid one of the females for having sex with his friend, the affidavit says. He also admitted to having sex with the second female, but said the act was cut short and he refused to pay, the affidavit said.

Releford was booked into the Douglas County Jail in lieu of $350,000 in bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, at which a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to order him to stand trial.

In 1991, Releford was convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.

It is unclear when Releford was released from prison, but he was still an inmate in January 2013.

If Releford is convicted of the felony charges, he could face more than 67 years in prison. He faces up to a year in jail if he is convicted of the misdemeanor charge.