Randy Hames is shown in a booking photo from earlier this year. (Cullman County Sheriff's Office)
CULLMAN – Local attorney Randy Allan Hames, 76, was indicted by a Cullman County grand jury last week on multiple counts of human trafficking and other offenses. The indictments stem from his arrests earlier this year on Feb. 22, March 5 and March 10 and involve alleged crimes against three women. Hames' case is being presided over by Madison County Circuit Judge Donna Pate.
According to court documents obtained by The Tribune on Thursday, Hames has been indicted for the following:
Indictment no. 1
- second-degree human trafficking
- sexual extortion
- soliciting prostitution
- second-degree stalking
Indictment no. 2
- first-degree human trafficking
- second-degree human trafficking
Indictment no. 3
- second-degree human trafficking
- sexual extortion
- soliciting prostitution
- second-degree stalking
Background
Hames was arrested on Feb. 22 for two counts of second-degree stalking and two counts of promoting prostitution, misdemeanor charges. Kayla Carreker and Tomeka Bartlett accused Hames of requesting sex for rent payments. The two lived at Hames Trailer Park, owned by the accused. Carreker and Bartlett also accused Hames of making crude sexual remarks to them. The two were also the first to file civil complaints against Hames. At least four women have now filed civil complaints against him.
Hames was out on bond and practicing law inside the Cullman County Courthouse when he was arrested again on March 5 for two counts of second-degree human trafficking. He made bond that same day. Bond was $15,000 property for each count of human trafficking. A Cullman County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the Cullman County District Attorney's Office decided to move forward with the human trafficking charges after reviewing the case and speaking with the victims and others.
Hames was arrested again on March 10 and charged with first-degree human trafficking and second-degree human trafficking. He was booked on an $80,000 bond. He made bond and was released.
What is human trafficking?
According to the Alabama Criminal Code, Section 13A-6-153:
(a) A person commits the crime of human trafficking in the second degree if:
(1) A person knowingly benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value, from participation in a venture or engagement for the purpose of sexual servitude or labor servitude.
(2) A person knowingly recruits, entices, solicits, induces, harbors, transports, holds, restrains, provides, maintains, subjects, or obtains by any means another person for the purpose of labor servitude or sexual servitude.
(3) A corporation, or any other legal entity other than an individual, may be prosecuted for human trafficking in the second degree for an act or omission only if an agent of the corporation or entity performs the conduct which is an element of the crime while acting within the scope of his or her office or employment and on behalf of the corporation or entity, and the commission of the crime was either authorized, requested, commanded, performed, or within the scope of the person's employment on behalf of the corporation or entity or constituted a pattern of conduct that an agent of the corporation or entity knew or should have known was occurring.
(4) Any person who obstructs, or attempts to obstruct, or in any way interferes with or prevents the enforcement of this section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(b) Human trafficking in the second degree is a Class B felony.
The Tribune reached out to Kathy Wilson, the chair of the Cullman County Human Trafficking Task Force for her thoughts after Hames' third arrest this year. Here's what she had to say:
"Human trafficking is defined as modern day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. People often confuse trafficking with human smuggling, which involves movement of persons. These are not interchangeable terms. Smuggling is transportation-based and trafficking is exploitation-based. I wish the language could be changed to 'Human Exploitation.'"
About Hames' charges, Wilson said, "It appears his charges are using force or coercion to obtain some type sexual acts from his victims. Our society has been led to believe that human trafficking is based on the movie 'Taken,' which is just not true. (The CCHTT) encourages people to research and educate themselves as to the signs of human trafficking. We welcome concerned citizens to our meetings. Follow us on Facebook at Cullman County Human Trafficking Task Force."
For more information, visit www.cullmantribune.com/keyword/human-trafficking to see all of the articles The Tribune has published on human trafficking.
All three indictments are shown below, with details of the alleged crimes:
Hames Indictment by cullmansense on Scribd
Hames Indictment #2 by cullmansense on Scribd
Hames Indictment #3 by cullmansense on Scribd
Copyright 2018 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
