Federal charges possible for man accused of sex trafficking, kidnapping Georgia girl
A registered Illinois sex offender accused of kidnapping and sex trafficking in connection with allegations that he drove a 13-year-old Cochran girl from Georgia to his home state earlier this month could face federal charges.
While federal prosecutors are not yet believed to be involved, the kinds of interstate, multi-jurisdictional, internet-linked criminal endeavors that 36-year-old Zachary Michael Despain is accused of often attract the attention of U.S. attorneys’ offices.
Federal involvement can streamline cases where suspects face charges in multiple states. In cases where federal crimes may have been violated, federal authorities sometimes confer with local district attorneys in places where the accused have allegedly run afoul of the law and decide which of them should handle a case.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said Thursday in a statement to The Telegraph that while she could not comment on “any potential or ongoing investigation,” that the office on occasion “works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies on these cases.”
Potential extradition
One notable and recent child-sex-trafficking case that came under the purview of federal authorities here involved a Dougherty County couple and a Bibb County girl, a runaway. The couple met the girl, a 15-year-old, at a Macon motel in 2016 and forced her into prostitution. One of the accused in that case pleaded guilty in federal court in Macon in May and now faces up to life in prison.
Despain faces numerous charges in Illinois, though those had yet to be brought as of midweek, a police official there said.
In Georgia, in addition to sex trafficking and kidnapping charges, Despain also faces charges of interference with child custody and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
He could be extradited to Georgia at some point, but officials here may first let any case against him in Illinois run its course. Or, of course, federal authorities could intervene and oversee his prosecution.
More charges expected
Meanwhile, more charges are expected in the case against Despain, which began unfolding the afternoon of July 6, when the 13-year-old Bleckley County girl went missing after walking away from her home.
She turned up in Springfield, Illinois, four days later on the morning of July 10, authorities have said.
Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow said in a statement that the girl called 911 shortly before 7 a.m. and reported that she “had been abducted from Georgia.”
When police found her, she was crying as she sat on the steps of the historic Lincoln Depot rail station. The girl was taken to a local hospital and later interviewed by police detectives, telling them “how she communicated with the suspect via social media (before meeting him) and how he picked her up in Georgia and drove her to Springfield,” the police chief’s statement said.
Police then tracked a rental car that Despain was said to be driving to his house about two miles away. Despain, who was inside the house, was later arrested.
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 4:40 PM.