HALL COUNTY - A teenage runaway was trafficked by a Gainesville woman for months, according to authorities.

Laronda Jamese Moore, 38, was charged with trafficking the girl “for the purposes of sexual servitude,” according to authorities. She appeared Monday in Magistrate Court for a hearing with her attorney Tom Csider.

Authorities said they believe this happened between July and January, though Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Scott Ware was unsure of the exact number of incidents being investigated.

Investigator Ashley Corwin told the court the 17-year-old victim was a runaway. One of Moore’s family members introduced the victim to Moore, Ware said.

Authorities said they believe Moore recruited, harbored and transported the girl “for the purposes of sexual servitude.”

Investigators searched a cellphone that had multiple messages through different applications and phone numbers about Moore and the victim working for her.

The girl asked Moore if she could get a regular job to make money, and Moore told her no, Corwin said.

“One day she decided that she wanted to run away. She didn’t want to be involved in that anymore,” Corwin said.

The girl took off running through the woods and contacted her mother, telling her everything that had happened.

The victim was also hit in the face Dec. 1 by a man who lives with Moore, according to the Sheriff’s Office. That man has been charged with misdemeanor battery.

Ware said the victim was back with her family and in stable condition.

The case moved on to Superior Court as charged.