DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A man was convicted in Douglas County, the district attorney said this week, of luring a 13-year-old girl to his home before molesting her and then trading her to another man for dugs where she was kept for three months.
He now faces a maximum sentence of two life sentences plus 20 years.
According to District Attorney Dalia Racine, 35-year-old Carlos Betancourt brought the girl to his home in November 2020 after encountering her walking in the area of Six Flags and offering her a ride.
At his home he "had sexual intercourse with the minor victim multiple times" before arranging to hand her over to the other man.
That man, the DA said, "picked up the minor victim and kept her at his home for nearly three months."
Racine said the girl was finally able to leave the man's home in January 2021, called her mom and was reunited with her family. They then contacted police.
Betancourt was arrested the next month after "the victim described Betancourt to law enforcement by giving them his first name, describing the distinguishable tattoo on his face, and that Betancourt was on probation."
"Based on this information, law enforcement was able to identify Carlos Betancourt as a suspect. A search warrant was conducted of his home and his cell phone records were obtained," the DA said. "Evidence found during the investigation corroborated the victim’s statements."
It's not clear what happened to the other man who kept the girl for three months.
“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," Racine said. "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.”
According to the DA, a sentencing will occur at a later date.
