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Within hours of the former Mayor Pro Tempore of Irmo, South Carolina appearing in bond court last week, his attorney withdrew from representing him — marking another twist in the unfolding child sex crime case of Erik K. Sickinger.
According to arrest warrants, the former councilman “performed sexual intercourse” with a juvenile on multiple occasions between late 2024 and early 2025. He was subsequently arrested on March 4, 2025 by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on seven felony counts.
First elected in 2020, Sickinger, 42, was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 16, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of luring, enticing or attempting to lure a child.
Citing SLED, investigators confirmed Sickinger’s relationship with the child through a forensic interview and communications found on Snapchat. Originally handled by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD), the case was referred to SLED on February 6, 2025.
While the state’s investigation remains “active and ongoing,” a spokeswoman declined to comment on whether any devices were seized from Sickinger’s home, workplace or person.
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“[Sickinger] knowingly provided marijuana and alcoholic beverages to a 15-year-old male juvenile,” noted SLED in arrest warrants filed weeks after receiving the case. “[He] provided marijuana to the juvenile before taking the juvenile to get a tattoo [he] subsequently paid for.”
Arrested within 24 hours of promoting an “all-ages” skateboard competition online, the politician appeared before Lexington County Magistrate Larry J. Saunders Jr., who set his bond at an estimated $200K — though one charge appears to be missing from the public index.
Individual bond amounts ranged from $20K to $40K.
“The Town of Irmo announces the resignation of… Sickinger, effective immediately,” the town posted to Facebook on March 6, 2025, one day before the politician posted bond. “The role of Mayor Pro-Tem, an appointed position within the council framework, will be filled at the next council meeting.”
As Sickinger’s legal troubles mounted, former Irmo Mayor Barry Walker accused him of using the town’s attorney for legal representation in bond court. According to a phone call with town hall officials, Irmo’s attorney is William Edwards of the Moore Bradley Myers (MBN) law firm.
“The fact that the town attorney is representing him while he remains in office only compounds the problem,” added Walker, who lost the 2023 mayoral election to Bill Danielson by 70 votes. “Maybe now we can begin to figure out how this happened and who knew this was going on.”
Following Walker’s claims, the Town of Irmo provided FITSNews with a declination letter from attorney S. Jahue ‘Jake’ Moore Jr., a member of the same law firm representing the town.
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RELATED | POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF LURING, DRUGGING 15-YEAR-OLD
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Although Moore is not the town’s designated attorney, his letter confirmed that Sickinger sought legal advice from the firm intertwined with his former government office.
“He reached out to me to help him because I was the only lawyer he knew and trusted to assist him,” Moore wrote on official MBN letterhead, addressed to the Town of Irmo. “This was a very fluid situation that got thrown into my lap and I wanted to help him the best I could.”
Citing Moore, the allegations against Sickinger are “unrelated” to his role as a council member. However, in a striking move, he withdrew from representation of the disgraced politician on March 7, 2025, instructing him to seek new legal counsel.
Despite stepping away from the case, Moore maintained that he “did not perceive and still do[es] not perceive any ethical conflict in representing Mr. Sickinger.”
As of Friday, March 7, 2025, court staff had not received a notice of attorney in Sickinger’s case – which will be prosecuted by the office of S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The downfall of the local politician is the latest in a string of child sex crime allegations in Irmo, where, just one week prior, two employees of a government-run charter school were charged with child sexual abuse-related offenses by local police.
While the cases appear unrelated, the back-to-back arrests highlight a troubling pattern in the town of 12,000 — located just ten miles northwest of South Carolina’s capital.
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“RE: ERIK SICKINGER”
(Provided)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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