A multi-state investigation has ended in the arrest of a suspected human trafficker who was detained in Virginia and will be extradited to Florida.
The arrest followed an investigation that lasted more than a year.
Attorney General James Uthmeier said Tuesday that 40-year-old Kevin Tilcock was apprehended after a 16-month investigation involving both the Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Uthmeier said in a news release that the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended Tilcock in Roanoke, Virginia, on Monday.
Uthmeier said Tilcock is accused of abusing a woman and her child.
“Drugging a woman and using her young child as a way to keep her captive is a disgusting level of abuse,” Uthmeier said. “This arrest was only possible because our Statewide Prosecutors and law enforcement partners were not content with having this trafficker on the streets. They followed the evidence to bring serious charges that will keep him locked up for a long time.”
Uthmeier said Tilcock was initially arrested in August 2024 by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors later found evidence leading to charges of human trafficking.
Investigators said Tilcock lured a woman he knew and coerced her into engaging in sexual activity for pay. They said Tilcock transported the woman across Florida and Mississippi. Uthmeier’s news release said Tilcock kept the woman drugged to maintain her compliance. Investigators said he threatened that she would not be allowed to see her young son if she did not follow his directions.
Tilcock faces charges of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution and unlawful use of a two-way device.
Uthmeier said Tilcock is being returned to Florida to face those charges. Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the case.
