A man wanted in a strangulation case in Virginia was arrested this week in Utah, where he has been charged with human trafficking for forcing a woman he was with to perform sex work in exchange for money, food, and hotel rooms.

Washington County deputies began searching for Denzel Waddy, 33, on March 8  when they were told by authorities in Wyoming that he might be in the area with a possible kidnapping victim, KSL reported.

“The information provided that a female was possibly abducted out of Virginia and the male that she was with was identified as Denzel Waddy,” a police booking affidavit said. “It was reported that Denzel also had a full extradition warrant for his arrest out of Virginia.”

Deputies spotted Waddy’s vehicle at the Coronada Inn & Suites at about 10 p.m. Thursday, KUTV reported. They found Waddy and the endangered woman, arrested Waddy on the Virginia warrant.

Investigators later learned that Waddy was forcing the woman to have sex, telling her “she was going to need to work for it,” court documents say. The documents also say he physically assaulted the woman, strangling her and burning her with a cigarette a few weeks earlier when they were in Las Vegas.

According to the Gephardt Daily, the woman told officers “that she was being forced to engage in sex work by Waddy, that he had been physically assaulting her, and that he had strangled her while they were in Las Vegas. She explained that Waddy would arrange for her to perform sex acts so they could get money, food, or rooms. She said that Waddy told her that he had found a room for them for the night but that she was going to need to work for it.”

The woman also showed the officers “pictures of marks on her neck, a cigarette burn on her chest, and a black eye from an incident that occurred in Las Vegas a few weeks prior. She explained that he did that to her when she expressed she didn’t want to keep having sex with other men because she felt Waddy would treat her differently. When I asked if she felt in danger, she stated that Waddy told her, ‘If I can’t have you, no one will.’”

She also showed the officer photos of her that “were used in sex work advertisements.”

Waddy has now been charged with aggravated human trafficking and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, KUTV said. He is being held without bond, the Daily reported.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.

[Featured image: Shutterstock]