Chocolate. How you doing? Is that you? [Music] Outlook is 56. In the early days of January 2025, a popular Albuquerque, New Mexico news site, ABQ RAW, posted a video of three women in scantily clad attire in the middle of winter. The story went viral and was seen around the world. The Albuquerque Police Department got a tip that two of the women were runaway teens. We will blur the faces and dress of the victims in this video to protect their identity. The Albuquerque Police Department decided to make contact with the women the next day. They found two of the three on a street known for illegal activity. The stories the two ladies started to give did not match up with what officers believed was the real story. Southeast. All right. Police Department. Hi, my name is Officer Salem. Cal Police Department. Um, I saw you guys out here yesterday. Where was the third girl you were with? Um, you just all be standing here. Okay. Okay. Can I get your guys' names? Um, real names. Yeah. Okay. I'm about to say chocolate. Taj Johnson. Taj Johnson. And your name? Um, Dela Na Melendez. What? What's going on? So, for one, we just want to make sure you guys are okay. It's kind of weird to us that you guys are out here wearing next to no clothes and it's 30° out here. Okay. I've been coming out here since [Music] A Lend E. You ain't got no clothes. What's your date of birth? Dinner social. Uh uh social. Is it? Sorry, cuz I just had to change phones and everything. Okay. [Music] I'm sorry it's slow. Is it You don't know your social? 323 social? No, my number um 245 2169. Is it your number? Yeah. California. Are you from California? That's where we're from. Yeah. What about the third female? I don't know. You guys haven't seen her? We just be staying together. Oh, okay. Gotcha. How did you guys She did something. How did you guys get down here from California? I'm sorry. The train or I'll drive. I'm like I've been coming down here. I start coming down here and like April, March. How long you guys been here? Yeah. And you? Huh? I took a train. We know each other from Los Angeles. And it was just her idea to come down here. And what did you say her name was? Alexa. Alexa. This closed at 9:12 December 18th, 2004. You said 18th. And you don't know your social? No. Do you have a do you have a driver's license? I do, but everything's at my mom's house. Where's your mom live? cuz I'm wearing all. And what's your mom's name? My mom's name is Maria. Okay. And all my other stuff, like my documents are in Arizona, my down. Okay. Right now, I want to talk to you guys separately. You guys aren't in any trouble. I just want to talk to you guys separately so so I can figure something out. Can you speak with me over here? Yeah. It's freaking cold out here. Not really. You're not cold? Is that your real hair? No. Why somebody else ask you that? No, it's not. [Music] [Applause] [Music] And you said you haven't seen the other female. She just hangs out with you guys here. Yeah, we are just come outside. You guys don't have her number or anything? [Music] Who are you talking to now? Huh? Are you talking to somebody? The teen the officer is talking to is a missing person from California and her mom saw the ABQ raw video and called APD. I'm originally from Arizona, but I live in Los Angeles. With your mom? No, on my own. On your own? I don't really talk to my mom, but my grandparents that I grew up with, they live in Arizona. Okay. And what did you say your mom's name was? Maria. Last name. Maria Ramirez. Malia. Maria. Maria. Ramirez. Ramirez. Okay. Your mom's name is not Narisa. No. No. I'm telling you no. Like, how do you how do you want me to prove to you my name? Well, for one, an ID would be a good start, but you're saying you don't have one. I don't have my ID. That's the thing. But you can look me up like in the system. My name Have you ever had a New Mexico license? So, I'm not from here working. Okay. Have you ever had what what's the most recent license you've had to state from? License? It was Arizona. The most recent ID you've had is a Arizona ID. Yes. Okay. She loves to say I tried giving her a chance to like own up to it, give me your name and stuff and she would she denies denies denies saying I'm not her. I'm I'm the lion. I'm from Arizona. No, she said so she said she's from California, which is where she's 28 from, right? She said her mom is in California, which is correct. She like refuses that she's the girl we're looking for. I even called her out on it. I said, "Your true name is not Hella so and so. Your mom's not Alisa." She's like, "No, my mom's name is [Music] Maria. She's not wearing earrings, but she is wearing the same jacket. The hair is the same." Let me [Music] see. Is the jacket's the same as the one mom found, but it's also the same as one that she's wearing. So, they could also be sharing jackets. I think that's her. I 100% think that's her. Yeah. The officer went back to his patrol car and called the mom and this case got a huge break. Giving us different information. Um, however, however, she she did give us some similarities. She said she's from California. She said her mom's from California. She's here with a friend who's also from California, so there's a lot of things that match. Um, like I said, she's I even tried calling her out though on it. I straight up asked her, "Is your name?" She said, "No, that's I don't know. I've never heard that name before in my life." Um, she's wearing different clothes than from what you sent me. However, I noticed in the picture that you sent me of her without makeup It looks to me like the freckles on her face match. So, um I I I told her I bites her fingernails. Okay. I I mean I straight up told her I think she's lying to us. Um I took a picture of her. I'm going to send it to you now so that way you can see and confirm. Yes, please. Oh my gosh. Do you have her with you right now? She's she's out talking to my partner right now. We have um we have um some detectives that are on their way to come talk with them and see also like what information they can get and what resources they can offer. Yes. So, um her social worker said she would come and get her because that's how the expedite was calling her to work. Like how does that work? Yeah. Oh my god, that is Yes. The girl gave in and agreed to get help and help authorities. They let Chocolate go back to the hotel. Who else is at the hotel with the other girl? Um, just her. Just her. The pain. She gets here. Okay. Okay. He's going to go to that room. Oh, yeah. Or actually, I don't know because I know she's going to have to go there, but I don't know when I right when he gets here. So, we have to move fast so we can help her. Okay. She's homeless. So, her mom had passed away and then they had became homeless and she had nowhere to go. So, that's why she started like the home. But she had told me how she doesn't really want to do it and she's just doing this because she doesn't want to like she has nowhere to go and she doesn't like to deal with social workers but she was in the system but she aged out but she doesn't want to have to deal with the workers then. Okay. So we'll put you in here and we'll we'll try to get over there as fast as possible. Okay. So T said the pimp can turn 11. He's going to go directly to the So we got to get there before 11. Yeah. We got 45 minutes. What does he drive? You know what the pimp drives? Huh? He's coming on the Okay. So, he drives a white white Honda. He drives in the Amtrak. What's his name? Do you know? Um, can I tell you? Yeah. Just go do that. Um, I'm going to take her uh Southeast Southeast cuz we don't have any Yeah, we don't want to bring any place for her to sit. Um, so probably just don't put her in a cell. Maybe take her to the interview room. Okay. Detectives came to the scene to confirm the missing girls and develop a plan with officers to save the other girl. They were totally compliant. Um I separated them, asked for the 49. She gave me a different 49 than what's on our 28 hit. You have the 14-year-old? Yeah, the 14-year-old's with my partner. I think he's going to drive around to the southeast sub because she just now finally told us that she's willing to talk to us away from here. Okay. Um, she was gave us her name. I I even like called her out. I think this is I think your name is Ella. I think you're from California. This and that. She's like, I'm from California. I'm not her. D. Went back and forth for a while. I took a picture of her. Send her send a picture to mom and mom right away was like, that's her. Talked to the social worker. Social worker also said, "That's her." So, social worker said to let to just let her know where she's going to be held. And social workers going to start is going to start making arrangements to get flown out to Albuquerque to pick her up. We holding That's what my start is trying to figure out. He's trying to figure out if JDC might hold her given that she's a flight. She's a juvenile runaway from California. So, yeah. So, he's he's trying to see if JDC will hold her or if there's even some um like maybe CFD if she's willing depending on how much she's though of like restraining her. Yeah. And that's what we're concerned. I mean, that's why my sergeant is trying to get a hold of JDC first. Um, so I know that our deputy commander and two more are coming out. Um, oh damn. Basically, oh, the 14-year-old will be different, but for the other one, the goal is to just be like, hey, we're giving you one chance. Our operating resources if you're being trafficked, come with us. If not, this is going to turn into no tolerance and we'll just start arresting you because we're not going to. So, yeah. And initially, their statements were adding up. However, the only disparity started to be that Ella, the 14-year-old, started to say that. So, I asked I asked her where they staring where they're staying at. She said a hotel off of Gibson and something. I asked we asked Ella. She said, "Oh, it's a hotel right up here with some building with a red roof." I asked Ella, "Who's all there with you?" And she goes, "It's she said cuz on the on that Instagram video, I don't know if you saw the AQ RAW footage." Oh, yeah. Cuz I asked where that third girl is. And she says, "I don't know. We That girl just started walking with us yesterday." Ella said, "Oh, she's back at the hotel getting ready." She swears up and down that it's just her and Ella in the hotel room. So, I think she's sticking to her guns a little bit more. I think Ella's starting to starting to break. Okay. Well, I really out of here. Yeah. I think my waiting for someone to get her with a bunny suit because she's in street clothes. Yeah. Um so, we're going to try to get her bunny suit and then take her to the southeast sub where she said she didn't comfortable talking. Okay. Um, yeah. I think DC leader can work on her. Did you see any more that were just like outrageously yesterday? No, we cuz Yeah, cuz we cuz we took the call yesterday and then my partner was looking at the the video of the AT RAW footage and he was looking at it and zoomed in. He's like, "That looks like the same girl." Cuz they're both red heads. And um in the video yesterday that they were walking out with, she has the same exact earrings as the pictures mom sent me. So we came out this morning and started looking for them and right away we saw him here at Red Island, but we haven't seen anyone else. The girl gave in and agreed to get help and help authorities. They let Chocolate go back to the hotel. The pimp is on the way from California. Yeah, he's on the app. He's on and he gets here at 11. Like that's when the train gets there. That's the train he's supposed to get in. And then he's going to take a lift or an Uber down to the room. But because he has I think they said 10 warrants or but he has like a lot of warrants. Um the next time he comes in counter with the police he's going to get arrested for 10 years. Oh, really? So where are the Do you know where the warrants are? Um California. California. Yeah. Interesting. Um, is the is it the 11:00 clinic? Is that the exact time that he's getting in or do you know like his train number or anything like that? No, I don't know like the train's information. Okay. He's supposed to be here. I don't know. Um, what's Do you know the other girl's name? It's And when you say what's the guy's name on the train? Um, his name is Rodick and that's his name. Is it Norweather? Roger Northweather. I don't know his last name. If it is, I'm very worried with others. And yes, he does some words. Um, just tell me that. Yeah. And he has like Yeah, he's a pimp. Yeah, I think I Officers developed a plan to save the other teen and arrest the two pimps at the motel. We're here to help you. I had a good time hopefully and you accept our help. Yeah. What do you mean? Like I didn't have a phone to like take pictures and videos. M how'd you get that one? Um we had got him right when we got to come to New Mexico. Does he know that you guys have him or no? Um he does. And he had told me how any [ __ ] that steals his like route like if they go to another pimp, he's going to like we were to go to a different pimp and then bring that pimp out here to New Mexico to like to like um like work out here. how he Hello. Officers developed a plan to save the other teen and arrest the two pimps at the motel. I'm step out. Step out now. Step out. Show me your hand. Step out now. Please support me. Step out. Step out. Step out. Chips on the air. Can I turn your back? Come on now. Come on. Hands behind your back. Step out. Who else is in there? Chocolate, come out. Step out now. Hands up. Hands up. Go ahead. Go ahead. Step out. Who else is in here? Who else is in here? I'm going to come crossfire. Step in with me. You ready? Hey, Albuquerque Police Department. If anybody's inside, make yourself known. Attention in room 312. This is the Albuquerque Police Department. If anybody's inside, make yourself known. What's happening? Albuquerque Police Department. If you're inside, make yourself known. This is your last warning. Chocolate, is that it? Yes. There's nobody else in there. Stay with Right over here. Sit down, sir. Sit down against this wall. Already police department. Yep. Sit down. Police department. If you want to start Don't [Music] go [Music] smell the last morning. [Music] 34 steing up. Does anybody need an ambulance? How you doing, sir? Ambulance. Chocolate. How you doing? Is that you? Anyone else in there? [Music] Yeah. Chocolate. I didn't get the girl to search. Search for anyones. Yep. You don't have anything on you, sir? No. Hold on one sec. We're going to have check. Hold on. Okay. If you guys want to walk her down, I'll help search her. Okay. Stay here, Chocolate. Stay. Turn them down. Yeah, he searched. I'm going to do one more search though. I know she did a search, but I'm just going to do one. Nothing on my side. All right. Take a seat in here. Okay. You got him. Yeah. We'll get that grounded here in a sec. What's up? All right. Officers took the teen to a patrol car to question her about the raid and who she really is. She stuck to her story of being over 18. Detectives pieced it together. She was missing from California when they took her back to the station. Is there state? So, the way charges work is they're filed under state statutes. So, yeah, they're state specific. So, like for example, if you don't, how much time do you think that we gave? that I can know cuz it's going to entirely it's going to come down to a judge deciding. And you think the judge going to all the time? Has this ever happened before? I'll be honest with you, this is my first experience dealing with this type of situation. But what she say he beat on would like Why are you guys taking a minor? What the [ __ ] That's weird, bro. She said she was 19 and we just found out today she was 14. Bro, that's weird. We really do want to help you. I don't need help. I don't know. I don't need help. Like, I'm good. What? Why do you guys take him? I'm standing outside. Okay. Why do you guys take him? Can you answer that question and I'll answer your question, sir? Like, why you guys take him? We're still kind of in the middle of our investigation. Okay. So, why where is he gone? Like, what the I mean, he's going to end up in jail for what? At least his war once. At least he don't have warrants. I'm told he has warrants. So I got to check on that. I told you in the middle of the investigation, right? To give you a total of charges would be too soon. And then what he's going to go to for PIP or minor cuz he didn't know. I have your name, please. I'm going to give you a minute to I'm cool. I'm going to keep the same energy. That's fine. If you don't give me your name and date of birth, I just take you to get your fingerprints, right? Cuz they don't lie. So, the decision is yours as to how quickly you get out of here and to go away. But if you don't, no, not yet. If if I tell you my name, I could like if I It'll be way faster if you cooperate. And if you have to delay me getting your fingerprint by 2 hours, then another 2 hours you lose. Yes. If you cooperate, it will go way faster. Ma'am, please have your name. [Music] All right. I'm going to give you a minute to think. I'm sorry. How do you spell that? AJ A C H E Z. And what's your birthday? 2006. What's your social? I don't know my social by heart. The last four? No, I don't know. I don't even have my ID on me. I would Do you have an ID? Like, have you been issued one by? I've I've had an ID before. Yeah. So, is it from New Mexico? No, I'm from Compton. I'm from LA. No, you said that upstairs. From Cali. Yeah. How long have you been here roughly? I don't know. Have you been on any police reports? Have you been booked into jail? How the my my line of questioning is how do I help identify is all I'm trying to do right now. Um, is there a way you can help me do that? Look, I don't know. I mean, I grew up in a system. I grew up out of the system. Okay. You were booked as a juvie? Yes. Have you ever been booked as an adult? Uh, no. No. No. Okay. Uh, booked here as a Jew or just LA. La. Okay. All right. You sure you don't want some more clothes? No. I'm good. Okay. All right. I'll be right back with you. A detective interviewed Rodrik Norseweather at the police station and he claimed he was going to the motel to get his hair done. The story did not add up and detectives had plenty of evidence to debunk his lies. As of right now, it's going to be two counts of human trafficking of a minor. Minor. Well, minor what minor have I dealt with? Well, like I said, that would be the one that was in the motel room and then the other one. both miners. So because I get my hair done and I don't give you weren't there to get your hair done and we were there to collect the money that they had been earning. So what other girl you said it was actually other girl. What other It's been three of them all all week since they got there. They all stay in that hotel room together. Chocolate knows exactly who they are. I've seen text messages between all of you guys. So you can keep playing dumb, but like I said, it's not going to work out well for you. I don't need no miners. I tell no. Yeah. Well, I know that they told you how they were. So you you will be charged with that at this point. So And how did they say they told me it was since I guess they spoke to me or whatever. How old did they say they So they told me that they was how old? I have a 15year-old and a 14-year-old. A 15year-old and a 14y old. And they said they told me that that was their ages. Wow. I mean, that's kind of a crazy conspiracy, right? That these random women who you don't know are just both making up accusations against you. Why would someone do that? Wow. Oh well, but the person I do know with this chocolate is of age though. Correct. Chocolate is an adult. The other two are okay. How does that happen? And your result with me texting them. How does that happen? I have not. I don't know. That's I don't know these people. Oh my god. I haven't text nobody. How does that look to us? Um like you're saying you don't know this girl. You guys are texting each other. It's like you think we're stupid. I don't think you're stupid. I'm y police. I'm pretty sure you have. Pretty sure the police know everything. I been in I been in the system before. I know the police ain't dumb. I know y'all very smart. So, why don't you tell us what we are now? I'm telling y'all, I came today to come get my hair done. I don't know nothing about no 14year-old, no 15y old. So, let me be honest with you. When I talked to probation out in California, the thing that the supervisor was the most mad about is that you're lying to them and that you're going here. And so the dishonesty part of it, I'm not I'm not even going to be able to call her and tell her like, "Okay, this happened, but at least he was honest. Now I have to go back to her cuz she wants a report. She wants everything that's going on out here." And I get to go back to her and say, "He lied to us the entire time and pretended like nothing happened." And that's not going to look good for you. Oh, you you won't even admit a very basic fact of yes, I have her number in my phone and I was texting her. Like I do not think the probation out in government is going to be happy about that at all because I know that part of your conditions is to not have contact with law enforcement, not be out here, and then not to lie to law enforcement when you're talking with them. I'm not I am I am completely confused. God just Okay, cuz God just told me you believe me and Tyler have some type of relationship. No, I asked if you did. I asked if you did. And then after that, you said you believe we do. At least that's what I think I heard, right? I was I was asking you if you guys are going to But so I haven't even been here. You said these girls already been here and cuz you you put them on a train and told them to come and y this is a 14 and a 15y old and these girls telling y my name and they know me and I'm I forced them to work and they have photos of you on their phone. That's weird, right? I don't know how to make photos of your money. We need you to be straight with us cuz you're not. So, can I see like some proof of I don't know, me texting these people or something. Me taking some money from me. Can read the rocks. It's all going to be in your restaurant. This is crazy, right? So crazy. All right. Well, I'm sorry we gave you the chance to to be honest about it, so we're going to call it. And like I said, you're definitely going to be going to jail today for some pretty serious stuff. Okay. Yes. Thank you. APD arrested Rodri Bill Norseweather, 25, and Tajani Chocolate Johnson, 21, knowingly recruited two minors and trafficked them across the country. The search of the hotel found over $3,000 in cash and evidence of the trafficking. The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the US Attorney Office of New Mexico adopted the case for federal prosecution. Both Norseweather and Johnson face 15 years to life in prison for this case. The two girls were taken back to California and saved from the streets.