Douglas County man convicted of raping, trafficking 13-year-old girl
Carlos Betancourt (Douglas County Sheriff's Office)
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - A Douglas County man was found guilty this week of raping and trafficking a 13-year-old girl.
Carlos Betancourt, 35, was convicted of child molestation, statutory rape, and human trafficking after a week-long trial.
Prosecutors say Betancourt, found the young teen walking down Six Flags Park after running away from her mother’s home in Cobb County. He offered her a ride, but instead took her to his home in Douglas County, where he had sex with her several times.
Prosecutors say he later texted another man that he would let him have sex with the teen in exchange for drugs. That man picked up the girl and two would exchange the young teen between them for nearly three months, prosecutors say.
Carlos Betancourt is seen in a photo on the Georgia Sex Offender Registry from Sept. 13, 2019. (Georgia Sex Offender Registry)
Eventually, Betancourt would sell the teen to a third unidentified man for money. In January 2021, the girl was able to get away and called her mother, who notified law enforcement.
"The idea of grown men preying on our children and manipulating and abusing them for their own gain and satisfaction is intolerable. No community is immune from sex trafficking," said Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine.
The young teen was able to describe Betancourt to investigators and give his first name. She described a distinguishable tattoo on his face and was able to tell them he was on probation.
Betancourt was arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in February 2021 after a search of his home and cell phone.
"I can only hope that this conviction, along with community resources, can help the victim continue to heal from this unimaginable abuse," Racine said.
Betancourt faces two life sentences plus 20 years.
He was already registered as a sexual offender for a 2006 conviction for child molestation.
This story has been updated to correct information previously released by the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office