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by WILL FOLKS
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The office of South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson announced a weighty sentence against a Rock Hill, S.C. man who entered an Alford plea in connection with multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and the sexual exploitation of a minor.
An Alford plea means a defendant is maintaining their innocence – but acknowledging sufficient evidence exists to convict them of the crime of which they stand accused.
Jeremy Lewis, 23, was sentenced to 46 years in prison by S.C. circuit court judge Keith Kelly – with credit given for nearly five years already served. Lewis was scheduled to stand trial this week but entered the plea on two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and seven counts of the sexual exploitation of a minor.
The investigation into Lewis began in November 2020 when the York County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the uploading of child sexual abuse material to an online application.
“Included in this upload were commonly traded images and videos of child sexual abuse material, as well as material that appeared to be self-produced,” Wilson’s office noted. “These self-produced images and videos memorialized the sexual assault of a child under the age of one year.”
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“Further investigation revealed that the IP address associated with the uploads was at a residence in Rock Hill that was associated with Lewis,” prosecutors continued. “Inside the home, law enforcement discovered furniture that appeared in the images and videos of the sexual assault. Law enforcement was ultimately able to identify the child.”
Lewis admitted to receiving child sexual abuse material online, but told police he did not participate in the sexual assault of the child.
“However, tattoos that were visible in the videos were consistent with tattoos on Lewis’s hands,” prosecutors alleged.
Wilson’s office has been facing criticism of late for its alleged mishandling of cases involving child sex abuse material (i.e. CSAM or “child porn”). More recently, FITSNews detailed problems retaining prosecutors and staff for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) section of the attorney general’s office.
Since our article was published, however, sources familiar with the situation say steps have been taken to mitigate prosecutor and staff shortages at ICAC – with more help on the way.
Count on FITSNews to continue advocating on behalf of additional resources for the prosecutors forced to confront these horrific crimes – and for maximum accountability for those who commit them.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
It’s all about the judge. Kelly would give someone five years for jaywalking. He doesn’t f around.
Judge Kelly is one the best ones we have. Good for him for not worrying about upsetting the establishment. Hopefully he will stick it to Parker’s as well.