Two more men have been arrested for their alleged roles in trafficking a 15-year-old girl in metro Atlanta, the state Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday.
The latest arrests are the result of an ongoing investigation dating to 2019, Attorney General Chris Carr said. Daniel Lee Horne, 30, and Gregory Michael Benoit, 27, have been charged with solicitation, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation, Carr’s office said in a news release.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit of those who abuse and exploit Georgia’s children for sex,” Carr said.
During an interview in 2019, the victim told investigators she was sold for sex by Theodore Browne Jr. and Christopher Weldon over a period of several months in 2018. The two Clayton County men were indicted in September on multiple charges, including human trafficking, aggravated child molestation, statutory rape and cruelty to children, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Investigators then sought suspects accused of purchasing the teenager for sex, Carr said. Horne, of Stockbridge, and Benoit, of Marietta, were identified as suspects.
“Since creating our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in 2019, we have dedicated every resource available to rescuing victims and prosecuting buyers and sellers alike,” Carr said. “We have worked this case for more than a year, and we will continue to explore all sides of an investigation to ensure that justice is served.”
Horne was arrested June 23 in Canton and Benoit was arrested July 3 in Brookhaven, Carr’s office said. Each was charged with trafficking persons for sexual servitude, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation.
Both Horne and Benoit remained Thursday in the Clayton County jail.
The Canton and Brookhaven police departments assisted with the investigation, Carr’s office said.
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