Columbia Man Sentenced To 9 Years On Human Trafficking Charge

COLUMBIA, MD — A Columbia man will spend 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to human trafficking, the Howard County State's Attorney's Office said.

Timothy Jamar Ford, 40, of Deep River Canyon was sentenced Thursday in Howard County Circuit Court, according to a news release. Judge Timothy J. McCrone sentenced Ford to 25 years in prison, with all but 9 years of the sentence suspended.

Ford pleaded guilty in September 2020 to one count of human trafficking and one count of filming a child engaged in a sex act.

In October 2019, Ford approached a 16-year-old boy, who was panhandling, and asked if he was looking for work, officials said. The victim got in Ford's car and Ford told him he "could earn hundreds of dollars if he engaged in sexual acts with other people," a news release stated. The victim said Ford took him to his residence and assaulted him, then returned him to the neighborhood near his home,gave him $12, and promised to give him the rest later.

The State's Attorney's Office said Howard County Police arrested Ford on November 7, 2019.

Ford must register as a Tier 2 Sex Offender, the news release said.