5 people charged for human sex trafficking ring at Richland County hotel, SLED says

Five people have been charged as part of an ongoing human trafficking investigation, according a news release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

On Dec. 7, SLED charged Rebecca Melanie Perry, 29, of Fayettesville, North Carolina, with trafficking people younger than 18.

From Feb. 18 to Feb. 21, Perry recruited, harbored, isolated and transported a victim under the age of 18 for the purposes of sex trafficking, according to an affidavit. It began at a Super 8 Motel in Augusta, Georgia and continued at the HomeTown Studios and Suites Columbiana at 350 Columbiana Drive in Richland County, where “commercial sex acts” took place, law enforcement said.

According to affidavits, SLED arrested the four others earlier this year for allegedly trafficking people out of the same Richland County Hotel.

Jared H. Pease, 56, of Darlington, was charged Nov. 9 with three counts of advertising three minors for the purpose of performing sexual acts for compensation, according to affidavits.

Antonio Marquis Nicholson, 32, of West Columbia, was charged July 26 with four counts of recruiting, harboring, isolating and transporting a victim under the age of 18 for sex trafficking, according to an affidavit. Terrell Counts, 32, of Columbia, and Monesha Tatayana Lapri Gary, 24, of Laurens were also charged with recruiting, harboring, isolating and transporting a victim under the age of 18 for sex trafficking in May.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the Columbia Police Department, the West Columbia Police Department, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, the Myrtle Beach Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations continue to assist with the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information that could involve human trafficking is encouraged to contact SLED via their tip email, tips@sled.sc.gov.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force and the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network have resources on their websites, http://www.scag.gov/human-trafficking and http://www.scvan.org/.

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 4:56 PM.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.