Ohio woman convicted, sentenced for trafficking 16-year-old girl through Georgia

ATLANTA — An Ohio woman was convicted and sentenced for her role in sex trafficking a 16-year-old girl through the state of Georgia.

Channel 2 Action News previously reported on the arrests and indictments of Jameesha Monique Harris and Anthony Charles Holmes, both of Cleveland, for the crimes in November. Previously, Harris and Holmes were said to have trafficked the teenager through metro Atlanta.

Now, the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says Harris entered a guilty plea and will serve decades in prison.

Officials said the teenager was reported missing out of South Carolina. During an Aug. 2, 2023 traffic stop by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found the victim, as well as more than 28 grams of cocaine and an ounce of marijuana.

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Channel 2 Action News previously reported a Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy tried to pull Holmes and Harris over for a traffic stop, when Holmes sped away, causing a pursuit from Greene County to Taliaferro County, according to Carr’s office.

Eventually, deputies initiated a PIT maneuver, stopping the car.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit was called in to investigate due to “multiple red flags indicating the child may be a victim of sex trafficking,” the AG’s office said previously.

“Our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has secured yet another conviction after assisting in the recovery of an underage victim,” Carr said in a statement. “As we have seen time and again, those involved in the trafficking of a child are often engaged in other criminal activity, and they must be held accountable. By working with partners like District Attorney Wright Barksdale, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office, and GBI’s HEAT Unit, we will continue to use the full force of the law to ensure traffickers are off our streets and our children are kept safe.”

On April 8, Harris pled guilty to trafficking someone for sexual servitude, trafficking in cocaine and possession of marijuana.

She’s been sentenced to serve 25 years, with 10 in prison and the rest on “strict probation.” Upon release from jail, Harris will also have to register as a sex offender, according to Carr’s office.

The case against Holmes remains ongoing.

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