Some of the content in the story is disturbing.
BIBB COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A fourth arrest was made in an alleged child sex trafficking ring in Bibb County.
According to Bibb County Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones, 23-year-old Timothy St. John from Chilton County was apprehended by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday afternoon.
St. John has been indicted and faces charges including two counts of first-degree rape, four counts of sodomy, four counts of human trafficking, and three counts of kidnapping. Additional charges against him include bestiality and aggravated animal cruelty.
He was detained at the Bibb County Jail alongside three individuals arrested earlier in the year as part of the same investigation. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office initiated a criminal investigation in February following reports of the sexual exploitation of young children.
William McElroy, 21, Dalton Terrell, 21, and Andres Trejo-Velazquez, 29, were indicted July 11 on charges of rape, sodomy and human trafficking involving six children. The youngest victim was 3 years old, Jones said.
A seventh victim, who was not trafficked, was raped and sodomized by the three men, according to court documents.
Jones said the victims referred to the place that they were abused as a “bunker.” Jones described it as an old storm shelter on a property in Brent.
Jones said Trejo-Velazquez allegedly tied up and drugged four of the six children who were abused by the four men inside the storm shelter.
“The children were tied to the bed, to the chairs, to a pole, and these individuals would have sex with these children,” Jones said. “But also Mr. Trejo was allowing people to pay money to come in and have sex with the children.”
Jones said it is the worst case he’s ever had to deal with.
“The worst part of it and the sad part of it is the children,” Jones said. “It will be really hard for them to ever overcome the trauma that they’ve had to go through to get to this point.”
He said the victims will have to go through a lot of therapy.
Because the four men who have been indicted are at least 21 years of age, they would face life in prison without parole if convicted of the crimes.
Court documents show McElroy is charged with four counts of rape in the first degree, six counts of sodomy, six counts of human trafficking of a minor and four counts of kidnapping.
Trejo-Velazquez and Terrell are charged with five counts of first-degree rape, seven counts of sodomy, six counts of human trafficking of a minor and four counts of kidnapping.
McElroy and Trejo-Velazquez are set to be arraigned Aug. 15. Dalton is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 2nd.
St. John’s arraignment date has not been set yet.
