DeKalb County Human Trafficking Investigation Leads to New Arrest for Hindering the Apprehension of a Criminal

Attorney General Chris Carr announced that Crystal Carter, 44, of Stone Mountain, has been arrested and charged with Hindering the Apprehension of a Criminal, specifically defendant Terry Florence who is alleged to have trafficked one minor and two adult females in DeKalb County. Florence, 33, of Conyers, was indicted by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in July 2023. Following his indictment, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and Florence was taken into custody on Sep. 26, 2023. During this time, Carter is alleged to have actively assisted Florence in evading his arrest by harboring him in her apartment and providing him with transportation while law enforcement was searching for him.

“Those who knowingly harbor an alleged trafficker are not only subjecting themselves to potential charges, but they are also delaying justice for the victims,” said Carr. “While this is a first-of-its-kind case for our team, it’s part of our continued commitment to holding accountable all buyers and sellers and those who assisted them in any way. We encourage Georgians to join us in this fight by familiarizing themselves with the signs of human trafficking and reporting any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

A DeKalb County Magistrate Court Judge signed an arrest warrant* for Crystal Carter on March 6, 2024. Carter was taken into custody on March 26, 2024, in Newton County with the assistance of the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

Indictment of Terry Florence in DeKalb County

In June 2021, Terry Florence was indicted on three counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude for allegedly trafficking one minor and an adult female. The underage victim was recovered during Operation Not Forgotten, a two-week effort to rescue endangered missing children in August 2020. The adult victim was identified by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

Following Florence’s initial indictment in 2021, Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit continued to investigate the case. In doing so, they were able to identify a third victim (an adult female). A superseding indictment was then obtained in July 2023 charging Florence with seven counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude and one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Overall, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has indicted 13 people for their alleged involvement in the trafficking of the initial underage victim. Ten of those individuals have already been convicted.

Training and Reporting Resources

To learn more about human trafficking and how to spot it, Georgians are encouraged to take part in a free online training course created by First Lady Marty Kemp, the GRACE Commission, and the Georgia Department of Administrative Services. The training is available here.

To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842.

If you have reason to believe that a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report.

About the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit

In 2019, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and leaders in the Georgia General Assembly, Attorney General Chris Carr created the first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

Last year, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit led and assisted 81 case investigations and rescued and assisted 129 victims. The Unit has obtained 30 new convictions since January 2023.

The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has 38 defendants who are currently under indictment for sex or labor trafficking, with some facing charges in multiple jurisdictions around the state.

The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is housed in the Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit and his Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit.

*Members of the public should keep in mind that arrest warrants contain only allegations against the individual who has been arrested.