Two Bryan County women were arrested for prostitution Thursday night by agents with the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.
Amber “Lola Bunnii” Balentine, 20, of Richmond Hill and Heather “Shyan” Smith, 24, of Ellabell were taken into custody at the Econo Lodge hotel on Highway 80 in Pooler, according to the CNT.
Balentine and Smith each were charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor in Georgia. Smith also was wanted by the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office on a different charge.
Also arrested was Norman “Panama Jack” Overton-Lane, 31, of Savannah. Overton-Lane was charged with human trafficking, pimping and possession of a weapon while committing a crime.
Undercover agents searched two rooms at the Econo Lodge and seized “controlled substances, items commonly associated with drug use and distribution, items commonly associated with prostitution and various weapons,” said CNT spokesman Gene Harley.
Balentine’s bond was set at $2,400, according to Chatham County Jail records. Smith’s bond was not listed in the records.
Once Smith makes bond in Chatham County, she will be turned over to the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, Harley said. She was wanted in Bryan County for failing to appear in court after being arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug-related items, according to Sheriff Clyde Smith.
Overton-Lane was denied bond during his arraignment Friday in Pooler Municipal Court, according to Harley. He had been out on bond after being arrested in June by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police on several felony charges including pimping, selling a controlled substance, possession of a weapon while committing a crime.
The investigation is ongoing and CNT expects to make additional arrests, according to Harley. For that reason, he said, investigators are not yet releasing information on the types of drugs and weapons that were seized Thursday.
“As of now, no one has been charged with any of the drugs seized,” Harley said.
SCMPD officers assigned to the CNT recently attended training on human trafficking. The training was presented by the state of Georgia, attorney general's office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“The training the officers received was instrumental in last night's operation,” Harley said. “The training educated law enforcement on identifying, investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases and provided information about statewide resources available to assist law enforcement in their investigations.”
Anyone who suspects human trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or their local law enforcement agency.