A well-known Gwinnett County tattoo shop owner is behind bars after police say he kidnapped, sexually assaulted and tattooed an underage girl, a set of accusations that has rattled customers and neighboring businesses. Investigators say the teen managed to get word out she was in danger late at night, and officers moved in. The man identified by authorities is now in jail while detectives keep digging into the case.
Gwinnett County police arrested 51-year-old Carlos Diaz early Saturday at his shop at Pleasant Hill Road and Cruise Road and charged him with human trafficking, kidnapping, sex crimes, false imprisonment and tattooing a minor, as reported by WSB‑TV. Investigators allege Diaz forced the girl into his van after finding her on Ozora Road in Grayson, drove her back to the shop in the middle of the night and tattooed her stomach before she was able to get help. The victim reportedly texted a boyfriend that she was in trouble and he called 911 around midnight. Police told Channel 2 they have not said whether the victim knew Diaz beforehand, and Diaz is being held at the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.
Neighbors who knew Diaz as a regular presence in the shopping center said they were stunned by the allegations. “It does take us by surprise, hearing this about him,” Lupe Correa told reporters, while other business owners said the charges “don’t match the man they know,” according to WSB‑TV. The shop’s front door was closed following the arrest, and the case has quickly become a talking point on local social media pages and in other tattoo studios.
Charges And State Rules
Under Georgia law, tattooing a person under 18 is illegal. O.C.G.A. § 16-5-71 classifies tattooing a minor as a misdemeanor, and the state’s body-art rules require permits and strict age verification for studios, according to the Georgia Code and the Georgia administrative rules. Those regulations sit alongside the far more serious felony counts Diaz faces in this case, including human trafficking, kidnapping and sex crimes, which carry significantly harsher penalties if prosecutors move forward…