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An alleged explicit chat with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year old girl resulted in felony charges of solicitation of a minor for an employee of a South Carolina public charter school.
Jason Erik Keller, 55, of Myrtle Beach, S.C. was attending a training hosted by the Dorchester County school district in October 2024 when he allegedly engaged in the illicit interactions via Kik – an instant messaging app popular with children.
The contents of the chat on this app were used to identify Keller – and to place him at a Holiday Inn Express in Summerville.
“While chatting with the undercover persona, Keller stated that he walked from his hotel to Food Lion to buy more beer,” according to the incident report from Goose Creek Police Department (GCPD).
The investigation revealed the Holiday Inn Express where Keller stayed for the training was within walking distance of the grocery store. His vehicle was also found to be in the area at the time.
The investigation into Keller was initiated by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson. Investigators from GCPD followed up on additional leads and identified Keller with a search warrant to Kik for subscriber information.
On January 14, investigators from GCPD drafted four arrest warrants and a judge signed them into service. Keller was located at his place of employment – Atlantic Collegiate Academy in Conway, S.C. – where he was taken into custody.
His cell phone was seized pending further investigation.
Keller has been charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree and one count of attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree. He was booked into the Berkeley County detention center and bonded out.
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Keller, who serves as dean of students at the academy, has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to a statement from the school.
“Atlantic Collegiate Academy will have no further comment on this matter,” the statement noted.
Keller’s profile has been removed from the ACA website.
Before accepting the job with ACA in 2024, Keller worked in Horry County’s government-run schools for twenty years as a teacher and coach.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Keller is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
Count on FITSNews to provide our audience with any pertinent updates to this report….
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THE INCIDENT REPORT…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases—like that of Mica Francis Miller— with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it’s tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they’re above the law.
Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic’s Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.
Whether she’s navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
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