An Ellijay police officer conducted a routine traffic stop Friday, which led to the arrest of a man transporting a woman for human trafficking.
Officer Brandon Heath with the Ellijay Police Department conducted the traffic stop at Old Hwy 5 and Bobcat Trail in Ellijay to investigate a 2019 Toyota Prius when the driver failed to dim their headlights and lacked a functioning tag light, Chief Edward Lacey with the Ellijay Police Department said in a press release.
The driver of the vehicle was Cordarrel William Blandburg, 26, of Gainesville, who did not have a driver's license on his person during the stop, the release stated.
Blandburg, who had a female passenger in the vehicle, told the officer she was his fiancé and was taking her to the hospital due to possible seizures. The officer followed the pair to a local hospital where the passenger was released to medical staff while the officer continued the investigation.
Upon investigation of the incident, Blandburg was arrested when the officer discovered he did not have an active driver's license and was found to have active warrants in Clayton County for obstruction of a police officer and aggravated assault.
"Officer Health continued to investigate the situation and upon doing so he discovered that Blandburg has possible gang affiliation and was not, as he claimed, the passenger's fiancé but was (as the victim explained) her 'owner and enforcer,'" Chief Lacey said in the release.
The continued investigation led to further information that Blandburg participated in human trafficking for sexual purposes. Doug Colburn, an investigator with Ellijay police has since followed up on the case and has contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as well as Homeland Security Investigations who are actively assisting the ongoing investigation.
Blandburg is currently held in the Gilmer County Detention Center on a $17,000 bond. Once he is released, Blandburg will be transferred to other jurisdictions where he has other charges and will be required to post additional bonds.
