SC councilman charged with child sex crimes suspended by Gov. McMaster
Governor Henry McMaster suspended a Bamberg County councilman on Friday after indictments were announced for six child sex charges.
A Bamberg County grand jury indicted Kerry Trent Kinard, the councilman, Thursday. Along with the child sex crimes, the grand jury indicted Kinard on a first degree assault charge.
SLED arrested the 49-year-old Kinard in September 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.
South Carolina law allows McMaster to suspend public officials after grand jury indictments for “a crime involving moral turpitude.”
Kinard was first elected to Bamberg County Council in 2012.
Kinard defense attorney was contacted but would not comment for this story.