3 defendants in Bibb County child sex trafficking ring make court appearance

BIBB COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — Three of the seven charged in connection to a Bibb County child sex trafficking ring appeared in court Thursday. Those three were Rebecca Brewer, Sara Terrell and Ricky Terrell.

However, their hearings did not happen as scheduled.

The hearings for Ricky, Sara and Brewer were supposed to be held under rules set by Aniah’s Law. Instead, the three will now have preliminary hearings next month.

“This is probably the first non-murder Aniah’s Hearing that resolved itself that fast,” said 4th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Robert Turner Jr.

According to Turner, an Aniah’s Hearing allows for a judge to revoke bond on defendants who are charged with other violent crimes beyond capital murder, to include sexual torture, kidnapping, rape and sodomy. Turner says the state was prepared Thursday to prove the serious and heinous nature of the crimes committed and that the three defendants were threats to society, but says after talking with the defense attorneys, all parties agreed the defendants be held on no bond until a preliminary hearing. At the preliminary hearing, the state must establish probable cause of the offenses happening.

“I can’t speak to what their strategy or rationale behind that would be, but if I were to speculate, it would probably be that the preliminary hearing will allow for more evidence to come out. Evidence that wouldn’t have been able to come out or wouldn’t have been required to produce for the Aniah’s Hearing and to avoid the repetition of having the facts come out over and over again in open court,” said Turner.

Turner says a case like this takes a toll on those involved.

“Whenever you have cases that involve children victims or child victims, it shocks people to the core. The majority of us have children, so whenever you hear a case that involves kids, you automatically think of your own,” he said. “The facts are shocking, they are disturbing, but we have chosen a profession to where we deal with cases.”

The preliminary hearings for Ricky, Sara and Brewer are scheduled for August 21 at 1 P.M.