Marietta Police: Human trafficking operation stopped
MARIETTA, Ga. - A phone call to 911 from a teenaged girl may have stopped a human trafficking operation, Marietta Police said Tuesday.
Police announced four arrests in the alleged human trafficking operation.
According to police, the 15-year-old called 911 at around 6 a.m. Monday asking for help.
The teenager reportedly said she had been forced to have sex with multiple men in a hotel room and was told that she would be killed if she left.
According to a Marietta police news release, detectives rescued the child and quickly took her statement about what had happened leading up to the 911 call.
Detectives secured warrants for two guest rooms at the Days Inn on the 2100 block of Northwest Parkway.
Police said they identified three suspects inside the rooms and a fourth suspect who was staying at a nearby hotel.
Warrants secured by Marietta police indicates that 22-year-old Atlanta resident Kamari Bolden did the girl's makeup in one motel room, photographed her and helped post pictures on online escort ads. Police say he then set up so-called dates for the girl to perform sex with men for $80 in a nearby room.
Warrants also indicate 17-year-old Laura Waugh of Marietta was photographed with the victim and offered to perform sexual acts with the girl in the online ads.
Police booked all four suspects on various charges and booked them into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Police charged Bolden of Atlanta with trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude, which is a felony.
Detectives booked 22-year-old Kenneth Thomas of Fairburn with keeping a place of prostitution which is a misdemeanor, and felony charges of pimping and trafficking of persons for labor and sexual servitude.
Waugh was charged with giving false name and date of birth, which is a misdemeanor, and a felony charge of trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude.
Twenty-six-year-old Douglas White of Dallas faces felony charges of pimping and trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude.
The news release stated, “We commend this young victim for having the courage to report the crime as well as the hard work our detectives put into thwarting this operation while still in its infancy.”
Police urge anyone with additional information on their active investigation to contact Detective Mark Erion at (770) 794-5363.