A 13-year-old sex trafficking and kidnapping victim was reunited with her parents after police found her in a car during a traffic stop.
According to the news release, at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, an officer stopped a car on North Street near Railroad Street after observing that the driver was holding her cellphone while driving.
When officers asked for her identification, the female driver could not provide a driver's license or identification, prompting officers to get her name and date of birth.
When they ran the vehicle registration, the officer learned that the 2014 Dodge Caravan that she was driving was reported stolen out of North Carolina.
When the police searched the vehicle, they found 13 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vape cartridges, three THC vape pens, THC-laced candy themed after Nerds Rope, and numerous pieces of lingerie. The officers eventually ascertained that the 16-year-old driver was planning to transport the younger girl to a different state, suspecting her of human trafficking, CBS reports.
Charges against the 16-year-old driver
The police arrested the 16-year-old driver for kidnapping, trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude, giving false names, address, or date of birth, theft by receiving stolen property stolen in other states, unlawful use of a wireless device, and Violation of Georgia Controlled Substances (VGCSA), according to 11Alive. She is currently under custody at a regional youth detention center and cannot be named because of her age.
The 13-year-old victim, who the authorities did not name, has been reunited with her family after the parents drove from North Carolina to pick her up.
The police are still investigating how the two girls knew each other and if anyone else was involved.
According to The Sun, the arrested 16-year-old is set for questioning by investigators.
Canton Police Chief Stephen Merrifield said he was grateful for the "exceptional work" of officers and detectives in this case.
In a statement, he said that the Canton Police Department taking the routine traffic stop and conducting an exceptional investigation changed a young girl's life for the better.
Charges for Another Sex Trafficking Incident in Georgia
Last December, the Georgia attorney general's office charged four individuals from Fulton County for allegedly trafficking a 14-year-old girl.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said that his office's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip led the investigators to identify, locate and rescue the missing 14-year-old victim. The victim had been missing for seven weeks when she was rescued.
According to WSB Radio, the defendants and their charges are:
Jody Netter, for human trafficking for sexual servitude, rape, child molestation, and cruelty to children; Courdale Thayer, for human trafficking for sexual servitude, cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault; Jahaundria Seabron, human trafficking for sexual servitude and Raphel Olivia Sewer for human trafficking for sexual servitude. The suspects will face the possibility of life in prison for their charges.
