Man fed teen Adderall, forced him to work then abandoned him on an L.A. freeway, prosecutors say - BERITAJA

A Thousand Oaks man gave a teen boy Adderrall and forced him to activity about the timepiece trading items online from a motel successful Southern California, past abandoned him connected a Los Angeles freeway successful the mediate of the night, prosecutors said.

Brandon Holguin, 26, met the 14-year-old boy betwixt 4 and six months earlier astatine a thrift store, past drove the kid to a motel room, wherever he was forced to benignant and photograph utilized clothing items for online resale betwixt May 2 and May 5, 2025, according to a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office press release.

Holguin allegedly told the insignificant to return Adderall, which made the kid sick, truthful he could activity into the night.

“Human labour traffickers often target susceptible children, gaining their spot earlier isolating them and profiting from the child’s forced labor,” Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said successful the release. “For 3 terrifying days, the victim’s parents and rule enforcement desperately searched for this missing teen, fearing the worst had happened.”

Holguin is charged pinch six felonies including 1 count each of kid stealing, quality trafficking, kid maltreatment nether circumstances apt to origin awesome bodily wounded aliases death, furnishing a insignificant a controlled substance, employing a insignificant during unauthorized hours and mendacious personation for a written instrument, according to the release.

Prosecutors allege Holguin trafficked the insignificant from adjacent his bluish L.A. County location to aggregate locations, took the boy’s compartment telephone and told him he had to get free of it truthful his mother couldn’t way him.

He past sold the telephone and utilized a clone ID to pawn the child’s jewelry, which were gifts from his family, getting hundreds of dollars successful return which he didn’t springiness to the minor, according to the release.

Holguin planned to postulation the boy to Northern California but it fell through, truthful prosecutors opportunity he abandoned the kid connected the broadside of the freeway successful the mediate of the nighttime successful Los Angeles.

The kid walked to a adjacent location, wherever unit called 911, according to the release. Police past reunited the boy pinch his family.

Holguin has been successful custody since his apprehension past twelvemonth and is awaiting trial. He pleaded not blameworthy to an amended criminal title successful April. He is being held connected $650,000 bail and if convicted, he faces up to 14 years successful authorities prison

Anyone who whitethorn person been a unfortunate aliases has much accusation about Holguin has been asked to interaction Detective Salvador Ponce astatine the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department astatine (818) 236-4015.