CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man will spend more than 19 years behind bars for taking a 17-year-old girl from Charlotte to Miami and forcing her into drugs and prostitution.
[Man accused of taking teen from Charlotte to Miami, forcing her into prostitution]
Willie Obadiah, 32, was sentenced to 235 months in prison Thursday for sex trafficking a minor earlier this year.
Court documents state that Obadiah met the girl on Facebook in February after she ran away from her foster home in Greensboro.
After talking on Facebook, he picked up the girl to go to Miami, where she thought they were going to hang out.
But instead, he took her to a hotel in Charlotte and advertised her prostitution services online. Obadiah drove her to South Florida and prostituted the minor out in hotels.
The girl got away from Obadiah, who returned to North Carolina where the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested him on April 19.
A restitution hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 28, 2020.
>> Reading this story in our app? The new "Follow the Lead" feature allows you to tap the blue tag indicated with a '+' to subscribe to alerts on the very latest breaking news updates.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- New video, report shows how boy fell to his death on airport escalator
- Driver of car dies after pulling in front of 18-wheeler, CMPD says
- SC middle school teacher accused of trafficking prescription drugs
- FORECAST: Strong mountain winds close several schools
- 'I knew she was out there': Family reunited with stolen dog 6 months later
Cox Media Group