Lexington man charged with two sex crimes involving minors, sheriff says

A Lexington man has been accused in two sex crimes involving minors, the sheriff’s department said Thursday.

Donald Sadler, 47, was charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

The sheriff’s department was called to investigate a December incident that resulted in the first-degree charge, Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “As our work on that case progressed, we determined there was another victim and enough evidence for a second charge on a second victim.”

Both children are under the age of 10, according to Koon.

Sadler was at work when he was arrested on March 4, the sheriff’s department said. Information on his job was not made available.

He’s still being held at the Lexington County Detention Center after his bond was set at $25,000 on the third-degree charge, but was denied on the first-degree charge, jail records show.

Anyone with information about this case or other potential incidents involving Sadler is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

If he is convicted on the first-degree charge, Sadler faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 25 years, no part of which may be suspended or probation granted, or must be imprisoned for life, according to South Carolina law. A conviction on the third degree charge could mean a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 12:10 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription