COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Nine men were convicted after authorities said a missing 17-year-old girl from Missouri had been sex trafficked by "multiple individuals" and found in a College Park motel room.
Operation Not Forgotten is an annual operation in Georgia conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service Missing Child Unit with a mission of rescuing endangered missing children. In August 2020, the operation resulted in 26 children being rescued across the state.
"People would be shocked to know how many kids are missing all the time in the state of Georgia," Hannah Palmquist, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit of the Georgia Attorney General's Office, explained.
The U.S. Marshals Service, in conjunction with the agency's Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), along with the AG's Human Trafficking Unit and local agencies teamed up for two weeks in metro Atlanta and Macon.
In 2020, the operation led the team to the Travelodge off Interstate 75 in College Park, where a missing 17-year-old from Missouri was found in a motel room.
"She had been trafficked by multiple individuals, one after the other," Palmquist said.
Once the teenager was safe, the team provided her with several resources and services. The unit quickly began its investigation to track down who was sex trafficking her and the individuals paying money to rape her.
In the meantime, it was discovered the 17-year-old was labeled as a 'runaway' out of northwest Missouri. A label Palmquist wishes would stop being attached to missing children.
"I think it’s important that we stop making that distinction whether child left voluntarily or not, they’re still missing, they’re still in danger, and they’re still very likely to be approached by a sex trafficker," she said.
During the investigation, Palmquist and her unit identified the man selling the teenager as Steven Stone, 31, of Lithonia, Georgia. On June 8, he pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking of persons of sexual servitude and was sentenced to 25 years, with 13 years to be served in prison.
As the unit continued to investigate, they identified nine men accused of buying the teenager, who all but one have been convicted.
In January of 2022, Shane Bean, 39, of Lithonia, pleaded guilty to pandering to a person under 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with two years to be served in prison.
Eight other defendants in this case just recently entered their pleas:
May 4
- Tony Turner, 27, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with three years to be served in prison.
May 19
- Kerry Barnett, 27, of Riverdale, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under the Age of 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with 18 months to be served in prison.
June 2
- Mintaka Bey, 39, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with 18 months to be served in prison.
June 8
- Undra Henderson, 30, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with three years to be served in prison.
June 12
- Alif Morgan, 40, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under the Age of 18. He was sentenced to 10 years, with 18 months to be served in prison.
- Daniel Callaway, 41, of Stone Mountain, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under the Age of 18. Under the First Offender Act, he was sentenced to 10 years, with 18 months to be served in prison.
- Warren Watts, 31, of Covington, pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering of a Person Under the Age of 18. He was also sentenced under the First Offender Act to 10 years, with 18 months to be served in prison.
Devin Smith is the only defendant in this case who has yet to go to trial or enter a plea. Palmquist said she knew more men were involved in this human trafficking case, but these were the only individuals they could prove either bought or sold the teenager for sex.
In the meantime, she knows much more work must be done.
"There’s between a 1,000 and maybe up to 2,000 missing kids in the state at any given time," she explained.
Palmquist said whether online or on the streets, some of these children will be approached by sex traffickers.
"It’s always an offer to meet some need the child isn’t having met and that’s how they pull the child in," she explained.
Contact the Human Trafficking Hotline
- If you suspect human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at (888) 373-7888.
- To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842.
- Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report if you believe a victim is in imminent danger.
- For more information on how to get help for both national and foreign-born victims of human trafficking, visit www.endhtga.org.