South Carolina Trafficking Defendants to Face Trial
Beaufort, SC – In a Beaufort County courtroom, three significant players in a known human sex trafficking operation were ordered to stand trial following their preliminary hearing last Friday. Jaquan Barnes and William Youmans, still detained at the Beaufort County Detention Center, and Alvin Bryan, currently on bond, are all facing charges related to sex trafficking.
The Charges
The accused are faced with ‘Trafficking in Persons involving a Minor, Victim Under 18 Years of Age’ charges. Alongside that Barnes faces charges including ‘Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 2nd Degree’, ‘Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 3rd Degree’; and ‘Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor’. The crime took place between February 1st, 2024, to March 5th, 2024, as per the arrest warrants.
The Hearings
The preliminary hearings were held at the Beaufort County courtroom at the Detention Center, with the first defendant to face the court being Barnes. Despite his initial refusal for legal counsel, Public Defender Taylor Diggs was appointed at the last moment to handle both his and Youman’s hearings. Magistrate Richard Brooks carried out the hearing for Bryan, who had his defense represented by Jeff Stevens.
In the light of proof provided, Magistrate Thomas A. Halloway and Brooks ruled that there is probable cause for the case to proceed to trial.
The Allegation Details
Digging deeper into Special Agent Logan Fey’s testimony, the victim was a minor who was a runaway and hooked on drugs. The investigation revealed that she approached a known drug dealer and her relative, Alvin Bryan, for narcotics in exchange for oral sex, which supposedly was a “standard transaction”.
It was known that Bryan had some sort of connection with Youmans who was directly in touch with Barnes, the mastermind behind the operation. Bryan apparently allowed the minor victim to leave his place, who later crossed paths with Youmans, drove her back to Bryan’s place to buy more drugs, and eventually took her home.
Based on obtained cell phone records, Youmans, who was fully aware that the girl was a minor, allegedly had sexual intercourse with her. Fey has reported that during the course of this exchange that lasted three days, Youmans was in constant communication with Barnes about the minor, even going as far as assuring Barnes that she is “good to go”. Later, he handed the victim over to Barnes.
According to Fey, Barnes also maintained a sexual relationship with the victim, offering her a place to live and food in exchange for sex. He has further allegedly made her pose for two explicit pictures, and then posted ads for the minor on commercial sex websites with the help of fellow defendant Guy Frank Talley III.
The case took a turn when Barnes escaped from police following what looked like a routine traffic stop. The minor, who was previously reported missing, was found in the car with Barnes and ultimately spoke out about the string of events, making it possible to spin a larger investigation that exposed the sex trafficking operation.
What’s Next?
The hearing for the fourth defendant, Guy Frank Talley III, accused of trafficking a minor and sexual exploitation, is to be held later this week. According to sources, they’re not the only victims. The case is still under investigation, backed by SLED, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the Beaufort Police Department, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, the Hardeeville Police Department, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.
