NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s just past midnight and a man walks out onto the second-floor balcony of a decrepit motel located in one of the few neighborhoods in Nashville not frequented by bachelorette parties. Perched on a hill across the road that overlooks the motel and looking through a monocular, Aaron Spradlin immediately asks if the man is smoking.
Smoking, Spradlin explains, would be one explanation for why the man would be lingering outside at this time of night. Other reasons would include taking a phone call or just getting fresh air. More nefariously, the man could be waiting for a child or adult to be dropped off for illicit sex.
Spradlin, who has spent seven years fighting human trafficking in Tennessee, says that this motel is a known spot for trafficking and he has had investigators from his organization, the Mission America Foundation, surveil the location before watching for suspicious activity or individuals from missing person lists.
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