LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A Little Rock man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced in federal court Tuesday.

The Eastern District of Arkansas Office of the United States Attorney on Oct. 25 said 28-year-old DeMarcus George was sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor in 2018. The crime came to light after a six-year-old girl was brought to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in February of that year suffering from what turned out to be several sexually transmitted diseases.

An FBI forensic investigator interviewed the girl, who described two men, one of whom was George, who had raped her in a motel room. The ensuing investigation found the motel room and discovered that the child’s mother had rented the room.

Authorities said the child had been removed from the mother’s custody.

George and the second man, Mario Waters, were tested and found to have the sexually transmitted disease that had infected the girl. Authorities said both were indicted in 2019 and pleaded guilty in November 2021.

In court, the pair admitted they had trafficked the girl and others. Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s office said Waters’ sentencing has not yet taken place.