A Warren, Michigan, man has been charged with human trafficking after a woman escaped and sought help, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. 

Lawrence Robert Harris-Weaver Jr., 48, of Warren, was charged with human trafficking and prostitution (accepting earnings), Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald reported. Human trafficking is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine. Prostitution is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. 

The circumstances came to the attention of authorities when a woman ran off, and then sought help at a business. She had just been assaulted after refusing to continue commercial sex work, the prosecutor's report said. Troy Police were called and took the woman to Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital, where she met with Madison Heights police. 

The victim told police that the defendant had threatened to kill her if she left, according to the report, citing the case of a sex worker found murdered in Detroit. 

"Traffickers use manipulation, threats, and physical abuse to rob their victims of any agency," McDonald said. "I applaud this woman's bravery to escape and the Good Samaritans who helped her get medical care."