A man is wanted in connection with a trafficking operation involving four teenage girls who were solicited for sex after running away from a mental health facility.
Jeffrey Earl Cook, 50, of Bowdon, faces a charge of sex trafficking, the Carroll County Sheriff’s said in a Facebook post.
Two people were previously arrested in connection with the alleged scheme, AJC.com reported.
Shanice Goodwin, 25, and Allen Wilson, 64, both of Bowdon, were arrested after authorities said Goodwin took the girls to a home and allowed Wilson to have sexual contact with one of them.
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The four teens ran away from the KidsPeace behavioral center in Bowdon on March 29 before meeting up at a Carrollton store, according to officials. That’s when they were taken to the home to meet Wilson.
All four girls are between the ages of 14 and 16.
The sheriff’s office got involved when the girls returned to the store and someone called 911 to report that something “wasn’t right” with them, according to agency spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey.
Investigators believe Goodwin planned to bring the girls to Atlanta and traffic them for sex.
Wilson is accused of molesting a 14-year-old who Goodwin pimped out, Hulsey said.
Goodwin was arrested March 30 for her alleged role in the trafficking scheme, while Wilson was arrested April 23, jail records show.
Goodwin is charged with trafficking, pimping and four counts of violating probation, while Wilson is charged with one count of child molestation and two counts of aggravated child molestation, jail records show. Both remain held without bond at the Carroll County Jail.
Authorities urge anyone with information on Cook’s whereabouts to contact sheriff’s Investigator Jackson Lawrence at 770-830-5916.
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