Decatur Area Man Held on Sex Trafficking Charges

The GBI reported Thursday night that a Decatur area man was arrested on sex trafficking charges after a traffic stop on I-20 in South Georgia.

The GBI did not provide a street address for Johnathon Nathaniel Kelly, 29, and no further information about him was immediately available.

A Georgia State trooper and a Green County deputy were involved in the traffic stop. The GBI reported that,

A 17-year-old juvenile female from Birmingham, Ala., was a passenger in the vehicle, and the deputy noticed that the juvenile displayed the indicators of commercial sexual exploitation of children that he had learned about in recent training.

The juvenile eventually told the Deputy that she was being held against her will for sexual purposes. 

After an investigation at the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office determined the juvenile was a victim of child sex trafficking, the GBI charged the driver, Kelly, with one count of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude. 

The investigation also revealed that the juvenile had been sold for sexual purposes in 4 different states since age 12. The FBI has joined the ongoing investigation into Kelly due to the multi-state aspect of the crime.

Kelly is facing additional charges by the Georgia State Patrol for Driving while Intoxicated (Narcotics), Possession of Marijuana, and Speeding. The State Patrol Trooper also determined that Kelly had an outstanding warrant from Norcross Police for Failure to Appear.

The juvenile was turned over to the custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS).

Sex trafficking is a major problem in the Atlanta metro area. In November, for instance, a human trafficking and child abduction seminar was held in Little Five Points.