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SEATTLE - Seattle police arrested a sex trafficking suspect who was a person of interest in a prior case of a missing teenage girl.
Officers on June 5 arrested Lavelle Cotton, also known as the "The Money Making Prince."
The 45-year-old had been wanted by Port Orchard police, who said he was a person of interest in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl after she was seen getting in his Buick Enclave in December 2025. The teen was later found safe.
Seattle Police arrested Cotton for a different case related to sex trafficking on Aurora Ave.
Sex trafficking suspect arrested
According to the probable cause documents, over the course of several months, Cotton relentlessly pursued a 20-year-old woman, attempting to get her to "choose up" and work as a prostitute for him.
Detectives say he first reached out to her on social media around December 2025, when he believed that she was a missing juvenile female that he had been associated with. Police say he sent her an Instagram message that read, "Go Home."
She responded by asking what he was talking about. He told her to call him, which she did. She says he told her he thought she was the missing teen he had dropped off with another girl in downtown Seattle.
Detectives say he then tried to get her to work for him as a prostitute. When she refused, police say he continuously harassed her while she was working.
Incident on Seattle's Aurora Ave
On one occasion, detectives say she was working as a prostitute at North 135th Street and Aurora Ave N on May 16, when tried to run her over with a vehicle before crashing into a barrier pole next to an Espresso stand.
Police say he then exited the vehicle, asked if she was going to hand over any money she had earned.
When she tried to walk away in five-inch heels, she said he then pushed her from behind while sticking out his foot, causing her to trip, fall into broken glass on the ground and cut her knee. She told detectives she had to use superglue to stop her knee from bleeding.
On a different occasion, police say he approached her while she was working, threatened her with what appeared to be a firearm he stuck into her stomach, and demanded that she give him her "trap" — trap is a slang term for proceeds from prostitution.
He stopped when a Seattle Police cruiser drove by.
Prior convictions for Seattle sex trafficking suspect
Detectives say she told them that Cotton would park across the street and watch her. She said several of the other girls said he was responsible for the shootings occurring along Aurora Ave N.
Cotton has a prior conviction for first-degree murder, for which he was sentenced to 240 months in prison.
He is also a convicted drug trafficker. On May 13, 2019, Cotton was sentenced in US District Court to 60 months for possession with intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine.
During questioning, Cotton denied accusations that he had harassed the woman because he thought she had reported him to police and told detectives he had text messages and evidence on his phone showing he was innocent. However, he refused to give detectives his passcode.
King County prosecutors charged Cotton with second-degree human trafficking, first-degree attempted promoting prostitution, first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on June 11.
Cotton is being held on $1 million bail.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle anchor David Rose.