Former ICU nurse sentenced to 10 years for trafficking 16-year-old girl in metro Atlanta

Written by: A. Smith

Published February 25, 2026 @ 11:22 AM ET

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – A former intensive care unit nurse from Hart County has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to trafficking a 16-year-old girl in Fulton County.

Reed Cohen Skelton, 26, of Bowersville, was sentenced to 25 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison and the remaining time on strict probation, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Saturday. He is also required to register as a sex offender.

Skelton pleaded guilty Feb. 12 to two counts of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to court records, Skelton first made online contact with the teenager through social media apps, including Snapchat, and communicated with her over several months, exchanging sexually explicit content.

In November 2024, he traveled to Cobb County to pick up the girl and took her to a hotel in Fulton County, where he rented a room and had sex with her, paying $500. He also created and kept digital files of the abuse.

“This is the disturbing reality that we’re seeing online, where traffickers are targeting our children for abuse and exploitation,” Carr said. “Whether it’s Snapchat or Roblox or any other app, child predators will find a way to communicate with their next victim, and we’re doing everything in our power to stop them. Our team is on the ground leading this fight, and we won’t rest until every child is safe and every trafficker is brought to justice.”