COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Carrollton man accused of pimping minors for sex out of a Marietta motel has pleaded guilty to several of the charges, according to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office.
Jaylan Lamond Bennett, now 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the street gang terrorism and prevention act, two counts of pimping for a person under 18 and possession of a firearm by first offender probationer. Prosecutors said Bennett was on probation for a robbery charge in Cobb in 2015.
According to prosecutors, Bennett is a member of the "Squad Life" gang. While associated with the gang, they said he exploited two young women - including a 16-year-old runaway - out of a Powers Ferry Place motel for several days and trafficked them.
Authorities said the 16-year-old somehow made it back home a few weeks later and gave some details about what happened. After investigating, Marietta Police reportedly uncovered evidence to corroborate her story - including advertisements on social media.
Prosecutors said evidence showed Bennett intimidated and threatened the girls to keep them from reporting the acts to their family or the police. He was ultimately arrested on the charges in May 2016 Columbia, Missouri and has been in custody since.
After accepting the plea deal, a Cobb Superior Court Judge sentenced Bennett to 30 years, with 13 years to serve in prison. The rest is to be served on probation. He will be subjected to sex-offender and gang conditions upon his release, prosecutors said.
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Officials said Bennett's guilty plea marks a first for the district attorney's office.
“While we have understood the nexus between gang activity and sex trafficking for some time now, this is one of the first times we have been able to utilize the criminal street gang act and accompanying sexual exploitation statutes together to attack this problem,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring. “These crimes are a scourge in our community. This plea and sentence should send the message that this behavior will not be tolerated in Cobb County."
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