"It makes me feel horrible and it's terrible that it happens," said Valerie Harper.

 

Harper is a mother of three. she said it's sad to hear stories about children being forced into prostitution.

 

"It's awful that there's children out there that are not getting the kind of love and attention they need," said Harper.

 

Instead in this case, a girl got attention of the wrong kind.
Someone called the Alachua County Sheriff's Office about suspicious activity at a motel.

A caller described to deputies both the suspect and the victim at the Days Inn on Newberry Road.

When deputies got to the motel they spoke to management.

 

"They were familiar with someone renting a room that matched that description, but he was not currently there," said Alachua County's Public Information Officer Art Forgey.

 

At the back of the motel they spotted two people in a Dodge van matching the description given by the caller.

 

"He stopped that vehicle, the driver was subsequently arrested for driving while revoked," said Forgey.

 

Soon after deputies determined 34 -year-old Bertram Harrison was prostituting a 14-year-old girl seven times over a month.

They also said the girl met Harrison through a friend.

The arrest report stated that Harrison would pick up the girl near her house at around 9 p.m. and then drop her off at about six a.m.

 

"According to the mother she did not know what was going on," said Forgey.

 

The victim would tell her mother she was staying with her friends.

Jenn Petion from Partnership for Strong Families said it is very important for parents to take that extra step to find out what their kids are doing.

According to Petion, most of the children getting lured into this activity are looking for love and attention.

 

"We have to remember that the pimp has extreme emotional control over the girl and has made them feel like they are loved, they are needed, they are special, they are beautiful, but parents can fill that void too," said Petion.

 

One thing Harper has done with her kids.

 

"I air on the side of being too strict and making sure that I know where they are and what they are doing," said Harper.

By: Yaremi Farinas