Attorney General Chris Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit convicted a Gwinnett County man on Tuesday for attempting to solicit sex from a purported minor.
Demonte Engle, 23, pleaded guilty in Gwinnett County Superior Court on Oct. 24. He will serve 25 years, with five of those years under house arrest.
This is the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit’s first undercover chat case and it stems from an investigation and arrest that the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office TRACE Unit conducted in 2021. The Unit has obtained four convictions since July of this year.
According to a release from the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, Engle solicited a purported 14-year-old girl for sex between Oct. 19 and Nov. 1, 2021. The alleged 14-year-old girl was an undercover officer who posed as a child.
Engle offered on Nov. 1 to pay the purported 14-year-old $40 for sex. He traveled to an agreed-upon location in Buford to meet for the exchange. Engle was then arrested by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
He was indicted by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in January of this year. Engle pleaded guilty to knowingly soliciting a minor for sex on Oct. 24 of this year.
The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit recommended a 25-year sentence for Engle, with 5 of those years served in prison. Engle’s counsel argued for a probation sentence. Ultimately the Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge ruled on the 25-year sentence with five years of house arrest. Engle will also be required to register as a sex offender.\
“By partnering with local law enforcement, our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is utilizing every available resource to apprehend buyers before they reach potential victims,” Carr said in a statement. “Demonte Engle took active steps to solicit a purported 14-year-old female for sex, and now he is paying the price for his illegal actions. This is a novel case and should send a message to all those who attempt to exploit our children by engaging in this criminal industry – you will be stopped and held accountable.”
