HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A North Carolina man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for human trafficking nearly two years after an investigation into his criminal activity began in Henrico County.
According to the Henrico County Division of Police, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 41-year-old Demontray Shadrell Bowman of North Carolina was sentenced to 58 years in prison with 40 years suspended after he pleaded guilty to four counts of commercial sex trafficking and four counts of pandering.
Bowman had initially been charged with 32 separate offenses.
The investigation into Bowman began in March of 2022, when Henrico Police responded to the 5300 block of Airport Square Lane in the Sandston area after a woman called out of concern for her safety.
It was determined over the course of the investigation that Bowman was involved in a widespread human trafficking operation across the East Coast, stopping in most major cities along Interstate 95 between New York and Florida.
“This guilty plea was the result of exhaustive work by VICE detectives and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Terrica Taylor, who poured through over 100,000 digital images, positively identified multiple victims of Bowman and secured the cooperation of several witnesses to testify against Mr. Bowman,” said an anonymous sergeant who oversees Henrico Police’s VICE unit.
Henrico Police is continuing to work with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to keep offenders who target victims for sex and capital gain off the streets. Anyone who knows someone in need of help or support is asked to call Safe Harbor at 804-612-6126.
