The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force has made its first arrest of a man charged with human trafficking and other related counts involving an 18-year-old female after the pair checked into a Lancaster City hotel.

Louis Fountain, 32 of Brookhaven, Delaware County faces two charges of trafficking in individuals, felonies of the first degree, four charges of promoting prostitution, felonies of the third degree and one charge of living off prostitutes, also a felony of the third degree.

On March 1, 2022, detectives observed an internet advertisement listing a female who was performing sex acts for money in Lancaster. Detectives began a text exchange with the number provided in the advertisement and agreed to pay $260 to spend an hour with the female at a hotel in Lancaster City.

The undercover detective met the female in a room at the hotel and provided her with the money and  discussed the sex acts that would take place.  An arrest team then entered the room.  An interview with the victim revealed that she met Fountain online at the age of 18.  Fountain then became her boyfriend. Fountain told her she could make money by having sex with other men. The victim stated she was making over a $1,000 a day but provided all the money to Fountain.  Police seized $1,765 in the hotel room with the victim.  She also reported that Fountain took her to other hotels in Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Delaware.

Police were able to corroborate these statements through additional hotel documents, cross referencing the internet advertisements and video footage.  Documents seized from various hotel rooms in Lancaster, Harrisburg and Delaware indicated that Fountain spent thousands of dollars on hotel rooms from the end of 2021 to present. 

The Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force continued to monitor Fountain and he was arrested on April 21, 2022, when he checked into a second Lancaster City hotel with the victim.  The defendant stated he met the victim on a dating site and was trying to help the victim be a model.

“Human trafficking is occurring right here in Lancaster County.  It is a profitable crime and can occur in any hotel in Lancaster County.  Every hotel is vulnerable” District Attorney Heather Adams said, “I want to thank both hotels involved in this case for their vigilance and for their full and complete cooperation with law enforcement and I would urge the public to also remain vigilant because awareness and vigilance will go a long way toward helping law enforcement fight this plague.” 

Fountain is presumed innocent.

East Lampeter Township and Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force Detective Chris Jones filed charges, which were approved by Assistant District Attorney Karen Mansfield.