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Police: Tallahassee woman used drugs prostitute child, sexually assaulted child at gunpoint

Posted: 12:32 PM, Apr 12, 2019
Updated: 2019-04-12 12:34:04-04
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Tallahassee woman is facing multiple child sex abuse charges after investigators say she forced a 13-year-old child into prostitution and sexually assaulted the child while holding a gun to her head.

Jacqueline Atkinson, 35, was charged with human sex trafficking after the Department of Children and Families began investigating reports regarding the victim and Atkinson.

Documents say the 13-year-old victim began staying with Atkinson in 2017 after living with another family member for several years.

"As DCF began trying to check on the victim's welfare, the assigned Child Protective Investigator (CPI) was led on a goose chase," investigators wrote.

The investigator tried to arrange several meetings with the victim and Atkinson but was unsuccessful.

In November 2017, the victim, who was reported missing at the time, was found thanks to an anonymous tip. Documents say the victim was being held at an undisclosed location to have sex for money.

When investigators interviewed the victim, the teen said that Atkinson was prostituting and smoking "meth" in front of her. At times, the victim said she was required to wait outside the hotel the pair were staying in while Atkinson performed sexual acts with men for money.

"The victim advised Atkinson did not feed her and told her if she wanted to eat, wanted clothes or other things, she would have to earn her own money because what Atkinson had earned, she had earned for herself," investigators wrote.

In one instance, the victim said she had went into the shower and when she came out, Atkinson's boyfriend was there with a gun and held it to the victim's head. Documents say Atkinson's boyfriend then told her that she was going to let Atkinson "do whatever she wanted."

That's when Atkinson sexually assaulted the victim, the victim noting that Atkinson was "higher than I have ever seen her." When Atkinson and her boyfriend fell asleep, the victim made her escape.

Documents say the victim returned to Atkinson several times after that and during those times, Atkinson would leave the victim to have sex with various men in exchange for the men's car or drugs. The victim said Atkinson also set up meeting for the victim to have sex for money.

"The victim stated that she was diagnosed with STDs on more than one occasion and was pregnant on at least one occasion," investigators wrote. The victim also said that Atkinson gave her drugs and got her addicted to meth.

When investigators spoke to Atkinson, who was serving time at Gadsden Correctional for drug possession, she denied the allegations and said that she had nothing to the do with the victim prostituting herself.

However, a search of a social media account belonging to the victim revealed that Atkinson knew about the victim's drug use and was with the victim at several locations she was prostituted at. Investigators note that they also spoke to several witnesses who corroborated the victim's accounts.

Based on the evidence, Atkinson has been charged with commercial human sex trafficking, deriving support from the prostitution of a minor, armed sexual battery of a child, child abuse, and child neglect.

A warrant was issued for Atkinson's arrest on April 8 and she was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility on Thursday. She is being held on no bond.