GREENE COUNTY, Ga. – Two Ohioans have been charged by the Georgia Attorney General’s Office with drug trafficking and human trafficking involving a 16-year-old victim for sexual servitude, according to a release from state officials.
Attorney General Chris Carr’s office said Anthony Charles Holmes, Jameesha and Monique Harris, both of Cleveland, were charged with attempting to pick up the teenage victim in a car while they were driving on the highway in early August.
Officials said Holmes was driving a white Cadillac and improperly stopped at an intersection of GA-15 and GA-77, with Harris and her alleged victim as passengers in the car.
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A Greene County sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull her over for a traffic stop when Holmes reportedly drove away at a high rate of speed, sparking a chase from Greene County to Taliaferro County, according to Carr’s office.
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Taliaferro County officers assisted in the pursuit and performed a pit maneuver to stop the Cadillac.
Officials said during the initial field investigation, officers learned that the teenager was reported missing in South Carolina after her family in Ohio reported her missing.
Based on these reports and “multiple warning signs indicating that the child may be a victim of sex trafficking,” officials have assigned the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT) to investigate.
The AG’s Human Trafficking Enforcement Unit also participated in the investigation.
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Law enforcement officials learned during the investigation that Holmes and Harris had taken the 16-year-old from South Carolina to Atlanta to commit commercial sex acts, officials said.
“An additional victim has been recovered and two individuals we suspect were involved in her trafficking are now facing serious charges,” Carr said. “We are proud of our strong partnerships with District Attorney Wright Barksdale, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office and GBI’s HEAT Unit as we fight to protect our most vulnerable Georgians. Together we will continue to send a strong message that Georgia’s children are not for sale.”
During the pursuit and subsequent investigation, officers found a firearm, cocaine and marijuana prepared for distribution, among other evidence, officials said.
As a result, Holmes and Harris were charged with sex trafficking and drug trafficking violations, the AG’s office said.
A Greene County grand jury indicted both Ohioans on Halloween. You are now facing the following charges:
Anthony Charles Holmes, 32, of Cleveland, Ohio:
- 1 count of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in violation of OCGA § 16-5-46(c)(2)
- 1 count of trafficking cocaine in violation of OCGA § 16-13-31(a)(1)(A)
- 1 count of possession of marijuana in violation of OCGA § 16-13-30(j)(1)
- 2 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in violation of OCGA § 16-11-106(b)(1) and OCGA § 16-11-106(b)(4)
- 1 count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of OCGA § 16-11-131(b)
- 1 count of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer in violation of OCGA § 40-6-395(c)(1)
- 1 count of window tint violation in violation of OCGA § 40-8-73.1(b)(2)
Jameesha Monique Harris, 21, of Cleveland, Ohio:
- 1 count of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in violation of OCGA § 16-5-46(c)(2)
- 1 count of trafficking cocaine in violation of OCGA § 16-13-31(a)(1)(A)
- 1 count of possession of marijuana in violation of OCGA § 16-13-30(j)(1)
- 2 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in violation of OCGA § 16-11-106(b)(1) and OCGA § 16-11-106(b)(4)
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