A 42-year-old Georgia man has been arrested after police alleged that he picked up a 14-year-old girl walking to school after she missed her bus, then sexually assaulted and trafficked her. The case has prompted concern because the girl was allegedly approached by a stranger during an ordinary journey to school.

Police said the incident occurred on 21 August after the girl accepted a lift from a man in a truck, who allegedly drove her to a location in Canton before dropping her near her school. Raymond Sookram has been charged with aggravated child molestation, trafficking a person for sexual servitude and interference with custody; he is being held without bond. Investigators reportedly identified a matching vehicle using the girl’s description and automated number-plate recognition cameras before searching Sookram’s home and making the arrest.