Jeremiah Nicholas Norwood (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
CANTON, Ga. - A former rideshare driver was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison without parole for trafficking a child and other sex crimes in Cherokee County.
Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. imposed the sentence against Jeremiah Nicholas Norwood, 45, of Acworth, who must also serve life on probation under sex offender special conditions.
Canton rideshare assault
The backstory:
The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office began investigating in February 2022 after a 15-year-old girl reported that an Uber driver sexually assaulted her. Investigators found that the teenager requested a ride to a friend’s house in Canton during the early morning hours of Feb. 5, 2022.
During that drive and later that morning, Norwood provided the child with controlled substances in exchange for sexual acts. In May, a Cherokee County jury convicted Norwood on six felony charges, including two counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude, aggravated child molestation, statutory rape, and two counts of child molestation.
Prosecutors noted that the victim swallowed substances she could not identify. Text messages later revealed that Norwood provided her with Adderall, Xanax, and psilocybin. Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish emphasized that Norwood deliberately targeted a child who was alone, abusing that trust by supplying drugs and exploiting her.
District attorney message
What they're saying:
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway urged the public to stay vigilant against exploitation.
"Sex trafficking can happen in any community, and those who are most vulnerable are often the least able to protect themselves," Treadaway said. "Recognizing the signs, speaking up when something doesn’t seem right, and taking action to protect vulnerable individuals are critical to preventing exploitation."
Reporting human trafficking
What you can do:
Officials emphasize that sex trafficking can occur in any community and involve people of any age, often through manipulation, coercion, threats, money, or drugs. Anyone who suspects human trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or the Statewide Georgia Hotline for Human Trafficking at 866-363-4842. In an emergency, people should call 911.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, who issued a press release on the sentencing, as well as Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish and details provided by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office.