Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2017.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- The desperate call came in early Tuesday morning. A terrified 20-year-old woman pleads with the dispatcher for help.
"It's a house full of girls and...if I try to leave, he'll try to kill me..."
The woman on the line goes to tell the dispatcher that she's in a house along with numerous other women. She said that the man "had me go get plastic surgery" and he threatened to kill her if she left.
When police arrived, they found eight women they said were behind held against their will at the million dollar Sandy Springs, Ga. home.
PHOTOS: Human trafficking suspect arrested for holding women hostage
Kenndric Roberts, 33, was arrested and charged with false imprisonment and trafficking of persons for labor. He's being held at Fulton County Jail, with his first appearance scheduled for Thursday.
Below is a partial transcript of the 14-minute call made by the 20-year-old woman (only statements that could identify the victim and redundant details have been omitted):
Caller: I’m in a very bad situation and I need to get out, and I was planning on leaving today.
Dispatcher: So what do you want the police to do?
Caller: I’m asking what do you think I should do?
Dispatcher: What do you mean you’re in a bad situation and you’re trying to get out? What does that mean?
Caller: Like…it’s a house of full of girls and, like, if I try to leave, he’ll try to kill me and stuff.
Dispatcher: Wait – did you say you’re in a house full of girls?
Caller: Mm hmm
Dispatcher: And somebody threatened to kill you if you leave?
Caller: Mm hmm
Dispatcher: Who is threatening to kill you? One of the girls?
Caller: No, our boss.
Dispatcher: Your boss?
Caller: Mm hmm.
Dispatcher: Who’s your boss?
Caller: Um… I don’t know his full name..
Dispatcher: OK, how old are you?
Caller: I just turned 20 in December.
Dispatcher: What’s your address?
Caller: Well nothing illegal is going on here. I don’t want to get in trouble.
Dispatcher: Well, why does he threaten to kill you if you leave?
Caller: When I came here, it was like a situation where you come and you work and you have girls dance. And the girls make money from dancing, and then…
Dispatcher: OK, so you and the girls dance for money at this house?
Caller: Yeah, I haven’t started yet. I just got here. I’ve been here for about a month, and he had me go get, like, plastic surgery. And he (unintelligible), and I just can’t stay.
Dispatcher: OK, and how did you meet him?
Caller: On this website. It’s called Seeking Arrangements.
Dispatcher: OK, if you said that there’s nothing illegal going on and you’re not allowed to leave…
Caller: Mm hmm… No, there are times where you can leave whenever you want. But (unintelligible)…and then he’ll like threaten to kill you and stuff.
Dispatcher: Does he live in the house too?
Caller: Mm hmm
Dispatcher: Is he there now?
Caller: Yeah
Dispatcher: OK, so no one knows that you’ve called police, correct?
Caller: No
Dispatcher asks caller to describe the man. After she describes him, the dispatcher asks where he’s at.
Caller: I don’t know I think he’s downstairs.
Dispatcher: Are there any weapons in the house?
Caller: Yeah.
The dispatcher asks for the address. After the caller gives him the address, she says it’s “a very nice house.”
The dispatcher asks the caller to describe herself. She does. She then says her parents know where she’s at.
Dispatcher: Is this house in a subdivision.
Caller: Yeah, it’s gated.
Dispatcher: Is there a gate code?
Caller: Ma’am I don’t know it. What I was going to do was I was going to run outside the house and order myself an Uber, because I have a flight at 12 that my friends got me.
Dispatcher: OK, where is the flight to?
Caller: My home.
****
Caller: The only thing I’m the only one who wants to leave. Everyone else wants to be here. So everyone else is fine. Like he doesn’t threaten them. He mostly just threatens them…(unintelligible) but because I had to have surgery to be here or something, and he threatens me the most.
Dispatcher: What does he threaten the other females with?
Caller: Oh just little stuff, like, “Well you don’t take care of your kid right” and this and that. And they do – they really do….he’ll threaten them with little things or he’ll threaten to send them home.
Dispatcher: Is he the only man in the house?
Caller: Mmm hmm.
Dispatcher: OK, how many girls are in the house?
Caller: Um…9. 8.
Dispatcher: OK. Is the only man that ever comes in the house.
Caller: Um, yeah. I mean, he’ll have like a friend come over for a second and leave and that’s it.
Dispatcher: Do you know what type of car he drives?
Caller: He’s got a lot of cars.
Dispatcher: He’s got a lot of cars?
Caller: Mm hmm.
Dispatcher: OK, so where are you in the house right now?
Caller: Upstairs.
Dispatcher: You’re upstairs? Are you by yourself upstairs?
Caller: Yeah.
Dispatcher: Where are the other females?
Caller: I think they’re all sleeping. ..because they were all working last night.
Dispatcher: So you think that he’s sleeping?
Caller: No.
Dispatcher: Ok
Caller: I mean, there are lights around the house and cameras, that’s why it’s hard to do anything.
Dispatcher: You said there are cameras around the house?
Caller: Mm hmm.
Dispatcher asks caller to describe man again. She then asks what kind of weapons are in the house.
Caller: As far I know, like handguns and an AK.
Dispatcher: Do you know if he keeps that on him?
Caller: The handgun, yes.
Dispatcher: OK. Did he say anything to you this morning.
Caller: No. The other thing is he doesn’t do anything illegal. Like nothing he does is illegal. It’s just the fact that I’m scared to leave.
Dispatcher: And the fact that he said he would kill you if you left.
Caller: Yeah, but I have no proof of that, that’s why I never said anything.
Dispatcher: And when did he say that?
Caller: I don’t know. Many times.
Dispatcher: OK. Does he know that holding someone against their will is against the law.
Caller: He thinks he’s so smart> he knows exactly what he’s doing. He’ll tell you, he’ll tell you, you can leave whenever you want and then he’ll threaten you right after. You’ll be like, ‘I want do to this, this and that,’ and he’s like, ‘You’re free to leave. You can leave.’
Dispatcher: OK. OK. Well just stay on the line and confirm this address, OK?
Caller confirms the address.
Caller: What are they going to do?
Dispatcher: Well do you want to talk to them about it? About what your options are?
Caller: Yeah.
Dispatcher: You’d like that?
Caller: Yeah.
Dispatcher: OK, we’ll have them talk to you about it and they can let you know what you can do, OK?
Caller: Ok.
Dispatcher: Do you want me to stay on the line with you until they get there?
Caller: Are they going to actually just like pull up?
Dispatcher: Well how did you…because I’m just worried, you said that if you tried to leave that he would kill you.
Caller: Yeah, well I didn’t want them to come up into the house, like just pull up so I can walk out and he won’t do anything.
Dispatcher: OK, so if you just walked out to the front, he won’t do anything?
Caller: Yeah.
Dispatcher: OK, I’ll let them know that.
Dispatcher asks if caller wants to stay on the line until they get there. The caller says yeah. The dispatcher asks his name, the caller says it’s “Ken something.”
The call ends with the dispatcher saying, “”Hold on for one second. Just stay on the line. I’m right here.”
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, arrested 33-year-old Kenndric Roberts. He's charged with false imprisonment and trafficking of persons for labor. Click here for that story
