Two Little Rock men plead guilty in sex trafficking conspiracy

LITTLE ROC — Two men have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a 6-year-old child.

Demarcus George, 27, entered his guilty plea Wednesday afternoon before United States District Judge Brian S.

Miller. George joins his codefendant, Mario Waters, 33, who pleaded guilty last week. The guilty pleas effectively cancel George and Waters’ upcoming jury trial, which was scheduled to begin on Nov. 15.

In February 2018, a 6-yearold child was taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital due to symptoms that were later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases. The child was interviewed by an FBI forensic interviewer and disclosed that a man, later determined to be Demarcus George, had raped her. The child also disclosed that another man, later determined to be Mario Waters, had also raped her. The child told interviewers that the rape occurred in a hotel room with a curtain in the middle of the room, and she described a picture hanging on the wall in the hotel room.

Law enforcement was able to locate a hotel in Little Rock that matched the description provided by the minor, including the picture on the wall and the curtain in the room. Financial records from the hotel showed that the minor’s mother had rented a room at the hotel in March 2018 and paid with a credit card.

The child has since been removed from the mother’s custody.

Doctors at Arkansas Children’s Hospital determined that it was unlikely the child had obtained each sexually transmitted disease from the same offender and that there were likely multiple offenders.

Officers obtained search warrants for George and Waters’ blood and urine.

Results indicated that George and Waters tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases that the minor had contracted. Both George and Waters admitted in court that they had sexual contact with the minor and were involved in trafficking her with others.

“The unspeakable crimes committed against this child remind us how vitally important it is to have law enforcement officers willing to investigate and put a stop to these horrific actions,” Acting United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said. “These guilty pleas will spare the young victim from having to relive her experience on the witness stand at a trial. Our law enforcement partners work hard every day to protect children from this abuse, and our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit these deplorable crimes.”

Judge Miller will sentence George and Waters at a later date. Conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor is punishable by any term of imprisonment up to life and not less than five years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Little Rock Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Allison W. Bragg.

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Operation Christmas Child seeks gift-filled shoeboxes

The Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child collects shoebox gifts— filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items — and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way.

For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 188 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.

In 2021, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 9.7 million children in countries. The Area Goal for the Arkansas River Valley Area for 2021 is 16,750 giftfilled shoeboxes.

How can one help?

Conway and the surrounding communities have been participating in the collection of these shoebox gifts since 1999. Scores of churches, groups, teams, classes, businesses, families and individuals from our local community have contributed thousands of boxes since 1999.

Everyone is invited to join in this gift giving ministry.

The 2021 Collection Week is Nov. 15-22. Local dropoff areas can be found online via social media.

What to pack in a shoebox? Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls. Do not include candy, toothpaste, used or damaged items, war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures, seeds, chocolate or food, liquids or lotions, medications or vitamins, breakable items, such as snow globes or glass containers or aerosol cans.

Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.

Participants who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.