A South Carolina man is facing over a dozen charges for allegedly sexually battering more than one child and possessing a large amount of pornography depicting very young children.
In the middle of last August, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation to look into the possible sexual battery of five youngsters. They suspected an 18-year-old local man of being involved in the alleged abuse of the children.
Four of the five youngsters were interviewed by the Spartanburg Children’s Advocacy Center, and one of the families declined to participate.
It was reported that two of the children gave similar accounts of being sexually abused by the man.
The police were issued a search warrant for the suspect’s cell phone, and the man reportedly gave the device to them without incident.
When the files were searched, the police reported that they found “countless images and a video of child pornography, and many appeared to be juveniles as young as 5-7 years of age through various other stages of adolescence.”
The suspect was placed under arrest by the Special Victims Unit of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center. He is expected to face charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, first-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, second-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to reports, he is currently being held without bond.
The sheriff’s department released a statement about the arrest and added that “The lead investigator also feels the potential for other victims is a strong possibility.” They asked that anyone with information about the situation contact them.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.