SPRING HILL, Fla. — Authorities in Hernando County have made an arrest in a human trafficking case.

Sheriff Al Nienhuis described the case as one the agency had been working on for a few weeks.

James Peter Houllis, 56, was arrested on human trafficking charges after authorities said he tricked a minor into a sexual contract. Nienhuis said the investigation began on July 10. Deputies were given a location of a potential runaway child on Pinehurst Hill in Spring Hill.

When deputies arrived, they found two victims as well as Houllis.

The two victims in the case, one of them is now a young adult and the other is a juvenile.

Nienhuis said Houllis told deputies he and the adult victim were under the impression the minor was 18 years old and kicked out of her home.

After deputies took the minor to a runaway shelter, the victims told deputies she met Houllis on a dating app.

“Words can’t even describe,” Nienhuis said. “Horrific, terrifying, uncomfortable, painful. This person was violent and, you might even say, sadistic.”

The sheriff said the investigation is ongoing and there may be more victims in this case. Houllis, meanwhile, is being held without bond.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office asked that anyone who may have been a victim or know of a victim of Houllis' to call their office at 352-754-6830.

Sheriff Al Nienhuis said James Peter Houllis, 56, was arrested on human trafficking charges after authorities said he tricked a minor into a sexual contract. (Hernando County Sheriff's Office)