Teen under hypnosis recalls sexual abuse from 2010, Midlands man is charged, SC cops say
A Midlands man is behind bars after a teen under hypnosis revealed she had been sexually abused by him nearly a decade earlier, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
An arrest was made after the teen’s mother learned of the September 2010 abuse following a counseling session, then reported it to the sheriff’s office.
Herman Livingston was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 11, according to an arrest warrant.
The 75-year-old Orangeburg man did not deny the allegations, saying he was playing a game he called “vampire” with the minor, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“I am not going to deny anything, I do play games with the children,” Livingston said, according to an incident report, where he confessed to investigators that another child had accused him of similar abuse in the past.
Information on any charges from that incident was not available.
While under hypnosis, the teen said as a 5-year-old she was kissed on the mouth, groped and touched in other inappropriate ways by Livingston, according to the news release.
“This case was just brought to our attention this year but we still investigate to find out what happened,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in the release. “My investigators developed enough information to bring charges against this individual.”
Livingston appeared in court Wednesday and no bond was set, as it was deferred to a circuit judge court, the sheriff’s office said.
