Couple who held North Carolina woman as sex slave, subjected her two children to 'unspeakable violent acts' arrested, say police
A man and a woman have been arrested and accused of committing "unspeakable violent acts" against a woman in front of her underage children, who also suffered violent acts at their hands.
Thomas Antoine Miller, 26, and Shakeeta Lasha Adams, 25, allegedly kept the unnamed victim as a sex slave and abused and tortured her in two different hotels in Pineville, North Carolina, according to a press release by the Pineville Police Department.
Their crimes came to light while the police department was carrying out a detailed investigation into human trafficking from the two hotels—Comfort Suites on 10415 Centrum parkway and Quality Suites on 9840 Pineville Matthews Road.
Over the course of three weeks, detectives had been investigating the activity via interviews, undercover surveillance, and search warrants. This is when the victim came forward and asked for help for herself and her two children.
She said she had been held against her will at the two hotels and forced into sexual acts with random men. She said she was physically and mentally punished by Miller if she failed to meet a certain quota financially.
She told detectives the punishments ranged from verbal abuse, to beatings with a belt, being held underwater/ice bath in a bathtub while being strangled, and being burned/branded with a hot wire coat hanger.
She also said the violence was done in front of her two children, and that they were beaten with a belt sometimes as well.
Miller has been charged with human trafficking of an adult victim, sexual servitude of an adult victim, assault by strangulation, assault on a child under 12, assault on a female, and communicating threats, according to the Charlotte Observer. He is currently being held at Mecklenburg County jail.
Adams was charged with simple assault, and is free on bail pending trial.
"Our victim has been very brave in coming forward, and we hope that if there are more victims out there, then they, too, will be inspired to come forward," police said in their release. "We also want them to know that there is help out there for them. Our victim in this case and her children have a long road of physical and mental recovery ahead of them."
Anyone with additional information or know about additional victims of Miller and Adams have been advised to contact the Pineville Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at 704-889-2231.