Man convicted of molestation, rape, trafficking after 13-year-old girl held for 3 months

WSB Cox articles
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A Georgia man has been convicted of child molestation, statutory rape and human trafficking after prosecutors said he offered a 13-year-old girl a ride at Six Flags, then held and trafficked her for three months.

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The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said Carlos Betancourt, 35, found the victim wandering in the theme park after she ran away from her mother’s home in Cobb County on Nov. 4, 2020.

Betancourt offered the victim a ride, then took her to a home in Douglas County where he had sex with her multiple times. He then invited another man to have sex with the victim in exchange for drugs.

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From there, Betancourt and the other man passed the victim back and forth -- at one point selling her to another man -- for nearly three months. In Jan. 2021, the victim was able escape and contact her mother. Her mother immediately called law enforcement, who started an investigation.

The victim was able to describe Betancourt to officers by giving them his first name and a description of a distinctive tattoo on his face. Officers were able to identify Betancourt through probation records and searched his home and cellphone records. Betancourt was arrested in Feb. 2021.

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A jury convicted Betancourt on child molestation, statutory rape and human trafficking charges. He’s facing a maximum punishment of two life sentences plus 20 years. He has yet to be sentenced.

The other man is also in custody and facing charges.

“The idea of grown men preying on our children and manipulating and abusing them for their own gain and satisfaction is intolerable. No community is immune from sex trafficking,” Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a statement. “As a focus of my prosecution career, I am especially proud of our team and law enforcement partners for their work in recognizing and attacking this issue. We will continue to aggressively go after those that cause our children and our community harm. I can only hope that this conviction, along with community resources, can help the victim continue to heal from this unimaginable abuse.”