Three men bound over to superior court in Chatham County human trafficking case

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Three men accused of trafficking a juvenile for sexual servitude were bound over to superior court Tuesday following a preliminary hearing in Chatham County.

Michael Holsey, 34, Kevin Joyner, 42, and Antonio White, 34, appeared before Judge Crystal Denise Harmon on Zoom. All three are charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude.

The lead investigator testified that the case began Sept. 29, 2025, when the Hope Court liaison referred a 16-year-old transgender girl who was believed to be engaging in commercial sex acts.

The investigator said he recognized the juvenile in an advertisement on a prostitution website while conducting routine screening in February.

He obtained a search warrant for a TextNow app account, which revealed approximately 15,000 text messages over a two-month period.

Holsey admitted to sexual acts

Holsey was cooperative with investigators and admitted he met the juvenile at an apartment complex and paid for sexual acts, the investigator testified.

Holsey indicated he had met with the juvenile at least one time prior to that encounter.

The investigator said Holsey’s phone number was associated with missed calls on Dec. 28, 2025, and Jan. 24, 2026.

On Jan. 29, 2026, text messages showed arrangements, acts and prices were agreed upon, and the juvenile’s home address was provided.

Holsey turned himself in without incident after the investigator called him about an arrest warrant.

Joyner denied meeting juvenile

Joyner’s phone number was associated with messages on Dec. 30, 2025, in which acts, prices and a location on Abercorn Street were discussed, the investigator testified.

The investigator met Joyner at his workplace on Feb. 23, 2026. Joyner allowed the investigator to go through his cell phone, which showed text messages dating back to September 2025.

The phone contained both of the juvenile’s phone numbers and included graphic content.

Joyner admitted the phone was his and that he had sent the messages and coordinated a meetup, but he claimed he did not follow through.

The investigator said he had no way to substantiate whether Joyner met with the juvenile.

A digital extraction of Joyner’s phone was unsuccessful. The investigator said evidence from the phone is limited to what can be seen on body camera footage.

White traveled from Statesboro

White began texting the juvenile on Jan. 8, 2026, coordinating acts and location, the investigator testified. Text messages indicated White was traveling from Statesboro to Savannah for the meeting.

White admitted to the investigator that the text messages were his and that he had traveled from Statesboro to Savannah with the intent of engaging in sexual acts.

White said the juvenile was a no-show, according to the lead investigator.

The investigator said he found it strange that there were no follow-up text messages indicating White was waiting or upset about the juvenile’s failure to arrive.

The investigator met White on March 26, 2026, near a gas station across from the Hyundai Metaplant, where White had started a new job.

When asked again about the lack of follow-up messages, White repeatedly said “no, no, no” and was arrested.

Suspects believed juvenile was of age

Defense attorneys asked whether the websites showed the juvenile was underage. The investigator said all three suspects told him they thought the juvenile was of age.

The investigator said the juvenile advertised as 22 years old in most ads.

He said the juvenile does not obviously look like a child, but that there was a level of immaturity during interviews that would have indicated the juvenile was not of age in a personal setting.

Under Georgia law, anyone under 18 engaging in commercial sex acts is considered a victim of human trafficking, not a prostitute. Georgia Code § 16-5-46 classifies the acts as trafficking a person for labor or sexual servitude.

The juvenile is a biological male who presents as female and does not hide being transgender, the investigator said. Ads were posted in the transgender section of websites.

The investigator said ads were posted nearly every day throughout the investigation.

The juvenile initially told a probation officer that someone was using photos to scam people, but the investigator said providing a personal phone number and home address did not match that claim.

Two other suspects

Devonte Milton, 27, a registered sex offender, is in protective custody. Milton’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 15.

James Sinclair, 33, bonded out and was bound over to superior court.

Milton was originally charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office later upgraded Milton’s charges to trafficking a person for sexual servitude, influencing witnesses and three counts of probation violation.

Milton was previously sentenced to prison time for computer pornography and sexual exploitation of a child in July 2021.

Milton was supposed to serve 20 years in prison but was released after three months with credit for time served and ordered to serve the rest on probation.

All five arrests involve the same victim but are separate cases.