Julio Ramirez-Felipe, a 35-year-old California man, is accused of trafficking a young boy through Navajo County.

Navajo County Sheriff’s Office is praising a deputy after he rescued a young boy was being trafficked.

On September 8, Navajo County Sheriff deputies conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 40 at milepost 258 near the Winslow area.

Officials report that during the initial investigation, deputies learned the driver, a 35-year-old man from Greenfield, California, was traveling with a young boy who was not related or known to him.

The deputy conducting the traffic stop was able to determine through training that the child was in danger and was being trafficked.

The man was arrested and booked into the Navajo County Jail for a charge of assisting in human smuggling operation. The man is being held in jail on an immigration detainer.

The child was taken to safety. NCSO is working with multiple agencies to further investigate the incident.

Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse released the following statement regarding the arrest:

I would like to commend my Deputy for his exemplary investigative work on this traffic stop. Because of this simple traffic stop and furtherance of his investigation, an innocent child was rescued from danger. Human trafficking is a real issue that affects too many children. Thank you to the men and women who combat these issues every day.