A 13-year-old girl was trafficked for three months after she was offered a ride by a man while walking near Six Flags Over Georgia in 2020. He now faces up to two life sentences, plus 20 years, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Carlos Betancourt, 35, was convicted of statutory rape, human trafficking and child molestation. He will be sentenced at a later date. According to the state Sex Offender Registry, Betancourt registered as a sex offender in 2009 after being convicted of child molestation.
“The idea of grown men preying on our children and manipulating and abusing them for their own gain and satisfaction is intolerable,” District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a statement.
On Nov. 4, 2020, the victim ran away from her mother’s Cobb County home and met Betancourt while walking near the amusement park, district attorney spokeswoman Amanda Cooke said. Betancourt offered her a ride and took the girl to a home in Douglas County, according to Cooke, where he had sexual intercourse with the victim multiple times.
At some point, Betancourt sent text messages to another man, who is the co-defendant in the case but was not publicly named, offering to allow him to have intercourse with the victim in exchange for drugs, Cooke said.
That man eventually picked up the girl and took her to his Douglas County home, according to Cooke. For nearly three months, the victim was exchanged between Betancourt and the man.
The teenager was sold by Betancourt at least once to a third man for money, Cooke said. That man remains unidentified.
In January 2021, the victim was able to escape, contact her mother and reunite with her family.
Her mother immediately contacted law enforcement and an investigation began. The teen had been reported missing by her mother in November, Cooke confirmed.
According to authorities, the victim was able to describe Betancourt by giving them his first name and detailing the tattoo on his face. At the time, he was also on probation, but the District Attorney’s Office did not provide information on the charges he was already facing.
After Betancourt was identified as a suspect, a search warrant was conducted at his home and his cellphone records were obtained. Evidence found during the investigation corroborated the victim’s statements.
Betancourt was arrested by the sheriff’s office in February 2021. Officials did not say if the second man involved was arrested.
“We will continue to aggressively go after those that cause our children and our community harm,” Racine said. “I can only hope that this conviction, along with community resources, can help the victim continue to heal from this unimaginable abuse.”
The co-defendant is in custody and awaiting trial.
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