Basketball coach charged, teen rescued in separate NC trafficking cases. What to know

Sheriff’s offices in two different counties made similar announcements on Wednesday: that someone had been arrested and was being charged with human trafficking involving minors.

One of the cases, out of Anson County, involved a 30-year-old youth basketball coach, while the other, out of Rowan County, involved a 21-year-old who paid for a ride service to transport his victim from Charlotte to Salisbury.

The cases highlight what the North Carolina Department of Administration said is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. It also said North Carolina is one of the most affected states.

Here’s what to know.

What is human trafficking?

According to the Department of Administration, human trafficking is a crime that involves people profiting from the “control and exploitation” of others from things like commercial sex acts, labor, or services.

Basketball coach arrested in Anson County

On March 14, Jamoszio Burch of Wadesboro was arrested and charged with one count of human trafficking a child, and two counts of indecent liberties with children, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.

Burch’s social media shows he was a youth basketball coach who founded the NC Jayhawks, a grassroots AAU basketball program based in Anson County.

He was arrested and booked into Anson County Jail, and had his bond set to $250,000.

What happened in Rowan County?

A 16-year-old Charlotte girl was rescued at a hotel by detectives with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office last week during an undercover human trafficking operation in Salisbury.

According to a press release, detectives were responding to online escort service ads in Rowan County when they received a response from the juvenile victim. She was the first to respond and arrive at the operation site.

She met with an undercover cover detective who interviewed her. Her age was revealed, as well as the fact that she was from Charlotte, and that she had been sent to Salisbury by the alleged suspect, Kadeem Zalique Williams, 21, who paid for and arranged a ride share service.

The release said she had been entered into the national database as a missing person by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and that she met the suspect in the city after going missing. Williams groomed her, the department said, offering her shelter, a phone, and food.

The juvenile was taken to the Terrie Hess House Child Advocacy Center in Salisbury where a forensic interviewer spoke with her. During that conversation, investigators were able to learn enough information to obtain an arrest warrant for Williams for felony promoting prostitution of a minor.

The conversation also revealed that Williams was abusive to the juvenile, choking her during an assault the day before she was rescued. Officers later transported her to the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte for treatment.

Detectives partnered with CMPD’s Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Unit to locate and arrest Williams. CMPD had also obtained arrest warrants that charged Williams with felony assault by strangulation and assault on a female.

Officers discovered Williams was on parole for robbery with a dangerous weapon, and under GPS monitoring with an ankle bracelet.

Officers from both the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and CMPD arrested Williams without incident after realizing he was still at the hotel in Charlotte where the escort services were being operated, and where Williams housed the victim.

Williams remains in a Salisbury jail under a $250,000 bond, according to the release.

It also said the operation conducted by the sheriff’s office was an effort to seek out possible human trafficking victims, and that, in addition to the recovered juvenile, several more adults showed up at the operation site and were interviewed by investigators.

However, the office said, no others reported being forced into the sex trade.

So how much of a problem is this in North Carolina?

In 2020, 260 cases of trafficking were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, an organization supported by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The organization ranked North Carolina ninth among 50 states in cases reported.

In 2021, according to the most recent data reported by the organization, 223 cases of human trafficking were identified in North Carolina.

That year, the organization said the most reported trafficking crime was sex trafficking, with 165 cases. Labor came second with 34, and sex and labor third with 6.

Where does trafficking occur?

The Department of Administration said trafficking occurs in “all parts” of the state. Several factors make North Carolina a “hotbed” for human trafficking, including:

▪ Major interstate highways

▪ A large and transient military population surrounded by sexually-oriented businesses

▪ Rural agricultural areas that have a high demand for cheap labor

▪ Increasing numbers of gangs

In 2021, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, sex trafficking occurred in North Carolina in venues like illicit massage or spa business, motels or hotels, pornography, and others. Domestic work and farms were venues that saw labor trafficking that year.

Wait, so what are the different types of trafficking?

Yes. Human trafficking does not only involve sexually oriented businesses, like escort services, but other things like labor trafficking or domestic servitude, the Department of Administration said.

Labor trafficking often appears in industries like agriculture or construction, the department said, and might involve something like someone threatening to report individuals to immigration authorities or withholding wages.

Domestic servitude, which is sometimes considered a form of labor trafficking, the department said, usually involves things like hiring immigrants as live-in house cleaners for little or no pay, and threatening to report them to the immigration authorities.

Who’s impacted by trafficking?

Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, the Department of Administration’s website said. But some communities are more vulnerable than others, such as women, youth, LGBTQ people, and people from Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported that in 2021, 149 cases — which could include multiple victims — involved adults. Fifty-one cases involved minors. The majority of cases, 180, involved women, while 25 involved men. Foreign nationals saw 34 cases, compared to 15 cases involving U.S. citizens.

What happens next in Anson and Rowan Counties?

Both cases are still under active investigation. The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is being handled jointly with CMPD.

Anson County’s Sheriff’s Office said it was working with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation jointly on the case, and that additional charges against Burch are anticipated.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office published on social media that it received information about potential crimes involving Burch. The post also said the investigation was active and ongoing.