MARIETTA — A routine call about squatters in a vacant Marietta apartment has grown into a human trafficking investigation resulting in charges against four people, including two adults now accused of sexually exploiting minors.
It started May 27, when maintenance workers at the apartment complex at 730 Franklin Gateway discovered people sleeping inside an empty unit and called 911. When Marietta officers arrived, maintenance unlocked the door. Inside, they found five people asleep: three men and two girls.
Two of those five were victims. The other three were suspects.
Among those found in the apartment was Keatron Jones, 17, of Marietta, who had an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault. A second boy was underage and had been reported missing by his family. Officers transported him to Marietta Police Department headquarters, where he was reunited with his family. The third man, Jadon Mitchell, 18, of Marietta, had no warrants and was released at the scene.
The two girls were both listed as missing runaways. Both appeared to be under the influence and needed medical attention. They were taken to a local pediatric hospital.
What looked like a trespassing call turned out to be something much larger. Detectives from the Marietta Police Department’s Investigative Division took over, working with the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office as the case developed into a human trafficking investigation. Several arrests followed in the weeks after, though police say media coverage of those individual arrests did not reflect the full scope of what investigators had uncovered.
The charges now confirmed as part of the investigation:
Damian Downing was charged June 18 with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, removal of a monitoring device, obstruction, crossing guard lines involving marijuana, and drug possession.
Jadon Mitchell was charged June 29 with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and first-degree burglary.
Keatron Jones was charged June 30 with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and first-degree burglary.
A fourth suspect, the boy who was in the apartment May 27, has been charged through the juvenile court system.
As of publication, Jadon Mitchell has not been taken into custody. A warrant for his arrest remains active. Anyone with information about his whereabouts can contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at (404) 577-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Marietta Police Department’s app.
The investigation remains open. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Moore at (770) 794-5345.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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- B.T. Clark
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