Police arrested a man after a woman "frantically" entered a police station and informed officers that the man forced her into prostitution at several cities in Georgia, branded her and beat her unconscious while he "held against her will" for several months.
The 31-year-old woman came into the Grovetown Police Department on Tuesday, telling police that she had been picked up in Macon by a man she identified as Joe Lewis Hills, 36, who then took her to Savannah and on to Grovetown, where she had been held for the past two weeks, the police said.
"The victim stated that since she has been in Grovetown, Mr. Hills has repeatedly abused her physically, including choking her to the point of unconsciousness, while also threatening her with bodily harm if she did not continue to work as a prostitute, both in the home and away from it," police said.
"The victim also revealed that she had been 'branded' on her body," the police added.
The woman told police that she escaped after telling Hills that she had to meet a "John," and then used a ride sharing service to get to the police department.
As the woman was being questioned, police put the Grovetown house under surveillance where later in the day they saw Hills leaving.
He was taken into custody after a traffic stop.
A search of the home revealed "evidence to support the victim's claims," as well as narcotics, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and two firearms, police said.
Police said Hills was under federal probation for two previous bank robberies.
He was charged with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He is being held in the Columbia County Detention Center.
