'Selling kids for dope': Muncie man arrested for child sex trafficking
Jan 22, 2025
MARION, Ind. — A man was arrested on Saturday on multiple charges including child sex trafficking, the Marion Police Department wrote on Wednesday.
According to a press release from MPD, patrol officers were called around 7:04 a.m. to the 500 block of East 4th Street, on the report of a disturbance. Dispatch told officers that a 16-year-old girl said a 36-year-old man had put his hands on her.
Once police arrived, they located a vehicle and two individuals. MPD said they identified the 16-year-old juvenile but found the reported "36-year-old male" to be 28-year-old Anthony Franko-Smith, a Muncie native.
Franko-Smith booking photo (MPD)
Per MPD, police spoke to the girl and "...noticed fresh cuts on her face that were red and swollen." She reportedly also told police that Franko-Smith "...was known for selling kids for dope in the Anderson area" and had grabbed her legs to prohibit her from leaving his vehicle.
The 16-year-old said she believed Franko-Smith would sell her for crack cocaine later that evening. MPD wrote that she also found drugs in his vehicle "...that was described as white clear rocks in zip lock baggies."
She also indicated that she wanted to return to Muncie before being sold. Franko-Smith reportedly agreed to this, on the condition that she would have to have sex with him.
The juvenile was transported to MPD for an interview after police initially spoke with her, and Franko-Smith was arrested, MPD said. He currently faces the following charges:
Promotion of child sex trafficking (Level 3 Felony)
Criminal confinement (Level 6 Felony)
Possession of a narcotic drug (Level 6 Felony)
Interference with reporting a crime (Class A Misdemeanor)
Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (Class A Misdemeanor)
Intimidation (Class A Misdemeanor)
Battery with injury (Class A Misdemeanor)
MPD added that Franko-Smith is currently being held on a $50,500 Cash Bond at the Grant County Jail.