A 91Ô­´´ woman charged with human trafficking appeared in New Westminster Supreme Court on June 13, but isn't scheduled to go to trial until next year.

Jennifer Lynn Stephens made a pre-trial appearance, and is next scheduled to be back on Dec. 10 for a pre-trial conference. The trial itself is currently scheduled to begin Feb. 3, 2025 and could run to March 17.

Stephens was arrested after a 91Ô­´´ RCMP probe that led to charges of trafficking and assult.

The charges she is facing are:

• trafficking in persons

• trafficking for material benefit

• benefitting from sexual services, two counts

• procuring

• unlawful confinement

• assault causing bodily harm, two counts

• assault with a weapon, three counts

• uttering threats

• trafficking a person under the age of 18

• trafficking a person under the age of 18 for a material benefit

• procuring a person under the age of 18

• advertising sexual services

The investigation that led to the charges began on March 7, 2023, with a 911 call from a gas station near a motel in the 20400 block of 88 Avenue. A woman police described as injured and distressed walked int and asked someone to call the police.

Stephens was faced an assault charge as a result of the police investigation followiong that incident.

However, she missed a July court date, and the judge issued an arrest warrant. While they searched for her, 91Ô­´´ RCMP continued an investigation that grew to include the Surrey RCMP, the Vancouver Police Department's human trafficking unit, the RCMP E Division's behavioural sciences unit, a digital forensics unit, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Team's interview team.

When Stephens was arrested in the Lower Mainland by 91Ô­´´ Serious Crime investigators in December, more charges, totalling 14 at the time, were laid agaginst her.

Persons charged with a crime are considered innocent until proven in a court of law.