Alleged SC child porn producing town official won’t seek bond

Accused child porn producer and former Hanahan city council member Kevin Hedgpeth will stay in jail pending a trial.

After the U.S. Attorney’s office signaled it would oppose allowing him to go free on bond, Hedgpeth waived his right to a detention hearing scheduled for Monday where he and his attorney could have opposed the government’s position.

To get a judge to deny bond, prosecutors have to prove that a defendant is a danger to the community or a flight risk, or both.

For years, Hedgpeth, 48, made contact with numerous actual children and paid them to perform sex acts on camera, federal authorities charged.

Children who Hedgpeth allegedly victimized range from 9 to the early teens in age, prosecutors charge.

At Monday’s hearing, before Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker, Hedgpeth indicated that his financial situation is such that he would likely be seeking a permanent public defender attorney. He is currently being represented by a temporary public defender, Charles Cochran, who is based in Charleston. Cochran could not be reached for comment.

After being arrested last week, Hedgpeth resigned as Hanahan mayor pro tem and from his position on the city council. Federal charges against him are possession of child pornography and production and attempted production of child pornography.

A 16-page criminal complaint made public alleges numerous interactions between Hedgpeth and various minor boys and girls directing them to perform sex acts and then sending money through the internet to pay them.

The complaint alleges Hedgpeth was actively seeking out children from December 2021 to present. His Cash App and PayPal accounts paid 47 accounts that were either associated with minors or suspected of selling content, according to federal prosecutors. The accounts Hedgpeth paid include minors in the Charleston area, the government said.

“Hedgpeth has paid numerous minors who have been identified as likely victims of child sex abuse,” according to a press release last week by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbia.

Hanahan town council Mayor Christie Rainwater released this statement about Hedgpeh on Friday, April 17, and posted it on the town’s Facebook page:

“Today, Kevin Hedgpeth resigned from the Hanahan City Council and from his position as Mayor Pro Tem. While this step was necerssary, it does not dimiinish the gravity of the charges he faces or the pain this situation has caused our community.

“The City of Hanahan is working directly with the governor’s office to determine the proper process for filling the vacant seat and restoring full representation to the residents of Hanahan. Our community deserves representation , and we are committed to moving the procdess forward as quickly as possible.

“We will contiue to cooperate fully with federal investigators and will keep our community informed as developments unfold.”

Hedgpeth was born and raised in Charlotte, moved to Hanahan in 2009 and was elected to the council in 2018, according to biographical information the city of Hanahan published on its Facebook page in 2024.

“Prior to his election to council, Kevin was an active community member, Homer Owners Association board member, and Hanahan Exchange Club member, Rainwater wrote. “Kevin lives in Tanner Plantation with his wife Angela and two sons.”

Hanahan, a small city in Berkeley County, is a bedroom community of Charleston and has a population of some 20,000 people.

Hedgpeth is the third South Carolina public official to face charges related to the sexual abuse of children in the last year. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, a maximum of 30 years, lifetime supervision by the U.S. Probation Office, plus sex offender registration requirements

Other South Carolina public officials caught in child sex abuse cases are former state Rep. R.J. May, R-Lexington, now serving 17 years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse images. Former longtime Charleston County Magistrate James Gosnell is charged who is charged with trading in child sex abuse images.

The investigating agency in all three cases is Homeland Security Investigations.

Federal prosecutors in the Hedgpeth case are Elliott Daniels and Dean Secor.

Investigators in the case are seeking the public’s help to identify possible victims.

If you have relevant information to report, please contact HSI at Charleston_exploitationtips@hsi.dhs.gov, by telephone at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423), or through the online tip form at https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.

This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Alleged SC child porn producing town official won’t seek bond."