SLED charges SC county councilman with child molestation

Bamberg County Council member Kerry Trent Kinard has been charged with molesting a child and other sex crimes with a minor, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

SLED arrested the 49-year-old Kinard on Friday and charged him with first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, attempted criminal sexual contact with a minor, two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, first degree assault and battery and two counts of dissemination of obscene material.

The charges stem from incidents between 2008 and September 2020, SLED said.

According to state police affidavits, in those years Kinard showed pornography to male and female children, asked them to have sex, touched them sexually and tried to have intercourse with a teenage girl.

Between 2008 and 2010, Kinard also touched a male juvenile, according to a police affidavit. That incident warranted the first degree criminal sexual conduct charge, the affidavit said.

If convicted of the first degree criminal sexual conduct offense, Kinard could be sentenced to prison for life.

SLED investigated the allegations against Kinard at the request of Bamberg Police Department.

Police booked Kinard into the Bamberg County Detention Center.

Kinard was elected to council in 2016, according to Bamberg County. He represents District 1.

The case will be prosecuted by the Second Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Gov. Henry McMaster will decide whether Kinard will be suspended from office.

This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 11:52 AM.

David Travis Bland

The State

803-771-8342‬

David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription