GREENE COUNTY
A popular motion picture dealing with the subject of human trafficking has been playing at the Parkside 8 theater for nearly two months, but the reality of such an appalling crime has made its way to Greene County.
An Ohio man and the woman he was traveling with have been charged with human trafficking and a laundry list of other crimes after Greene County deputies caught up with him following a brief pursuit during the early morning hours of Aug. 3.
During the ensuing traffic stop, deputies found a missing 16-year-old female in the car with them.
According to the GBI, Holmes had transported the girl to multiple locations around metro Atlanta so that she could be sold for commercial sex. Anthony Charles Holmes, 32, of 987 Greyton Road, Cleveland, Ohio, is being charged with a window tint violation, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, driving while license suspended, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, human trafficking, speeding, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of firearm/knife while trying to commit crimes, possession of a controlled substance, a stop sign violation and tampering with evidence.
Jameesha Monique Harris, 15225 Plato Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, is being charged with human trafficking, possession of firearm/knife while trying to commit crimes, possession of a controlled substance, and tampering with evidence.
According to reports, Sgt. Jordan Knowles was patrolling Georgia Highways 77 and 15 in the Siloam area when he witnessed a white Cadillac with dark-tinted windows stop improperly at an intersection Knowles initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle by activating his emergency lights and siren, and the vehicle put on it’s right blinker. However, the Cadillac continued to travel north on Highway 77.
The Cadillac then ramped onto I-20 eastbound and began to accelerate, according to the report.
Knowles advised dispatch the vehicle was fleeing and began his pursuit. The Cadillac increased its speed to 119 mph and passed a tractor-trailer using the right shoulder of the roadway.
Knowles was then advised that Taliaferro County had units waiting near mile marker 148. There, two Taliaferro County units joined the pursuit.
At mile marker 149.5, while the vehicle was in the left lane, Knowles saw a dark bag fly out of the front passenger window. Taliaferro County units passed Knowles and took the primary role in the pursuit.
Near milepost 153.5, Knowles saw the lead Taliaferro County unit apply a PIT maneuver, causing the Cadillac to enter the median and strike the cable barrier.
The Cadillac backed onto the interstate, but Knowles positioned his patrol unit behind it, which effectively ended the pursuit. Knowles and the Taliaferro County deputies placed driver Anthony Holmes, and front-seat passenger, Jameesha Harris in custody.
Knowles was then advised that the backseat passenger was listed as a runaway juvenile out of Columbia, S.C.
According to the GBI, “Knowles and Lt. Patrick Paquette noticed multiple red flags indicating the teenager was being sex trafficked. As a result, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office contacted the GBI’s HEAT unit to assist with the investigation. The investigation revealed Holmes trafficked the teenager in multiple locations around Atlanta.”
Knowles also learned following the incident that Holmes was wanted out of Ohio for obstruction, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and trafficking heroin. In addition, was wanted in Fayette County for failure to appear.
Knowles found a marijuana cigar in the front center cup holder, along with multiple phones. The Cadillac was turned over to Taliaferro County for impound, and all three occupants were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital for medical clearance.
Lt. Patrick Paquette advised Knowles he had located the bag thrown from the car on the interstate and found a damaged Glock 43 pistol that had been run over by several vehicles and more than 28 grams of marijuana inside the bag.
South Carolina Department of Social Services confirmed the juvenile was a runaway and placed a hold on her. She was then transported to the Wilkes RYDC.
Records showed that Holmes was last convicted of burglary, domestic violence, and trafficking drugs on June 27, 2018. Harris and Holmes were both still in the Greene County jail as of Aug. 15.
The GBI investigation is active and ongoing and Holmes may be charged with additional crimes, according to a GBI news release. Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be given to the Georgia Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit for prosecution.
“This work is a part of the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking, which is funded by a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant,” according to a GBI news release. “The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s (CJCC) Human Trafficking Unit applied for and received funding for Georgia’s first law-enforcement-based statewide task force to address all forms of human trafficking. CJCC oversees the Coalition, which is responsible for creating Georgia’s statewide human trafficking hotline, 1-866-ENDHTGA.”