A total of 15 people were arrested during a child sex trafficking operation in Autauga County in November.
Details of how the operation was conducted were revealed in Elmore County District Court Judge Glen Goggans’ courtroom last week as several of the defendants, including some from Elmore County, were in court. Most of the defendants were charged with first-degree human trafficking, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child.
Jeffery Bozeman, 42, of Wetumpka, was in court for an Aniah’s Law hearing as authorities charged him with a second count of each charge as there was evidence Bozeman was negotiating a meeting with two 15-year-olds.
Autauga County deputy sheriff Amanda Porath testified authorities posted an ad on a website known for connecting individuals wanting various sex acts. Porath said the ad had photos of females over the age of 18 stating they were in Prattville seeking fun. The ad contained a phone number to contact the girls.
Porath said Bozeman sent a text to the number and officers responded. Eventually the officers posing as females said they were 15 years old, but Bozeman continued the conversation.
“He said he didn’t believe the age because of the photos,” Porath testified. “He asked for more photos with less clothing.”
According to Porath, Bozeman also asked about the girls being over 18 to get a hotel room. Porath said the girls were insistent on being 15 and a friend of age got the room for them.
Bozeman agreed to paying $100 for sex acts. When Bozeman arrived at the hotel, he was arrested and had $80 cash on him.
Other defendants argued they were entrapped by law enforcement. Attorneys said their clients asked about age. Some said they didn’t want to go to jail. Others inquired about a juvenile’s ability to get a hotel room. Some attorneys said law enforcement kept the conversation going.
Porath said in all cases the age of the victims was stated as 15 in the text and the defendants continually responded.
The sting operation was conducted over two days.
“More than 100 contacted the number in the ad,” Porath said. “The 15 continued to message after it was revealed the girls were 15.”
Goggans granted prosecutors motion of no bond under Aniah’s Law for Bozeman’s second round of charges. It was the same outcome of the first hearing on the first set of charges in November.
The operation was carried out by the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office with help from the Prattville Police Department, 19th Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Montgomery Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and Covenant Rescue Group.
Christopher Cheatham, 34, of Montgomery, and Eric Levail Billups, 40, of Montgomery, were also in front of Goggans on preliminary hearings for their charges related to the operation. Their cases were bound over to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Others arrested in the operation were William Gary Denton, 41, of Millbrook; Aaron Blake Schofield, 30, of Lapine; Parrish Patton, 30, of Deatsville; Jefferson Andrews, 51, of Greenville; Horace O’Neal Cooper, 63, of Prattville; Michael Edward Martin, 55, of Autaugaville; Richard Terrones, 20, of Wetumpka; Joshua Guy Harp, 26, of Columbus, Georgia; Jaylen Ahjier Kennedy, 21, of Prattville; Michael Len Wright, 26, of Montgomery; Ki-shawn Lasagius Quenzel Powell, 41, of Tuskegee and Austin Gill, 29, of Bainbridge, Georgia.
Gill was only charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act.
