Little Rock man admits to sex trafficking

LITTLE ROCK — A Little Rock man is facing a possible sentence of life in prison after pleading guilty in federal court this week to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a 6-year-old child.

Demarcus George, 27, was the second person indicted in the case to enter a guilty plea, after last week’s plea by his co-defendant, Mario Waters, 33, before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller. The two men were scheduled for a jury trial beginning Tuesday.

According to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office, a 6-year-old child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in February 2018 suffering from symptoms that were later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases.

The child was interviewed by an FBI forensic interviewer and disclosed that a man, later determined to be George, had raped her. The child also disclosed that another man, later determined to be Waters, had also raped her.

The child told interviewers that the rape occurred in a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room, and she described a picture hanging on the wall in the hotel room.

The release said law enforcement officers located a hotel in Little Rock that matched the description provided by the girl, including the picture on the wall and the curtain in the room. Financial records from the hotel showed that the child’s mother had rented a room at the hotel in March 2018 and paid with a credit card.

The child has since been removed from the mother’s custody.

According to the release, doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital determined that it was unlikely the child had obtained each sexually transmitted disease from the same offender and that there were likely multiple offenders.

Officers obtained search warrants for George and Waters’ blood and urine. Results indicated that George and Waters tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases that the minor had contracted, according to reports. George and Waters admitted in court that they had sexual contact with the minor and were involved in trafficking her with others.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross called the crimes “unspeakable,” making it “vitally important” that law enforcement be willing to investigate such crimes. He said the guilty pleas will spare the victim from having to testify in court.

“Our law enforcement partners work hard every day to protect children from this abuse,” Ross said in the release, “and our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these deplorable crimes.”