Former SC sheriff’s deputy charged with sex crimes involving 15-year-old, SLED says
A former deputy at a sheriff’s office in the Midlands was arrested on multiple charges for sex crimes he committed involving a minor, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said in a news release.
Antonio Pearson was charged with misconduct in office, disseminating obscene material to a person under the age of 18, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 16, and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, court records show.
The 36-year-old Sumter resident used to work as a deputy for the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, according to SLED.
Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley asked SLED to investigate Pearson, according to the release. Baxley said he fired Pearson in February after learning about the allegations.
An arrest warrant shared by SLED shows that between November 2019 and February 2022 Pearson “engaged in a sexual relationship with a juvenile victim.”
Between November 2019 and November 2020, Pearson “engaged in sexual battery” with the 15-year-old victim, and encouraged the minor to send nude photos to him, arrest warrants show.
In October 2020, Pearson sent nude pictures of himself to the teen, who he knew was under the age of 18, according to an arrest warrant.
Pearson was taken into custody after being interviewed by SLED agents, who also received statements from the victim and collected evidence from the teenager’s cellphone that “corroborates the sexual relationship, the dissemination obscene material, and the misconduct in office,” according to arrest warrants.
Pearson was booked at the Clarendon County Detention Center, according to the release. His bond was set at $87,500 on the combined charges, court records show.
Pearson is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 9, according to judicial records. The case will be prosecuted by the 3rd Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to SLED.
“I want to assure the citizens of Clarendon County that I ... will not tolerate this type of behavior by my deputies,” Baxley said in a news release. “... I want everyone to know that I hold my deputies accountable for any misdeeds.”
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This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Former SC sheriff’s deputy charged with sex crimes involving 15-year-old, SLED says."
