A Forest Park woman has been indicted for allegedly trafficking a teen and an adult woman as prostitutes in DeKalb County, as announced by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Virginia Anne Bates, 37, is facing a range of charges, including four counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude, according to Atlanta News First. The indictment also includes one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children and three counts of Pimping.

The Attorney General's Human Traffacing Protection Unit reportedly rescued the 16-year-old girl from Bates' clutches in March, as stated by Carr. Bates was apprehended on March 25 through a joint sting operation involving the U.S. Marshals Service and multiple local law enforcement agencies. "As we have said since the beginning – those involved in the sex trafficking of a child will be held accountable,” Carr emphasized in an statement acquired by WSB-TV.

Bates allegedly maintained control over the two victims, providing them to clients, and receiving a share of the earnings from the sexual transactions. The adult woman involved has not been identified in the reports. The indictment by a DeKalb County Grand Jury came on May 29, setting the stage for what promises to be a closely-watched trial.

Georgia's aggressive stance against human trafficking continues to manifest in arrests like this latest one. "We will never stop fighting to protect our most vulnerable Georgians," said Carr, underscoring the ongoing work of his office's investigators and analysts, as reported by WSB-TV. The case against Bates is expected to proceed in the coming months, and her arrest serves as a reminder of the persistence of human trafficking within the state.