Richland County man charged with sex crimes involving a minor, SLED says

A Richland County man engaged in sex crimes with a 15-year-old runaway, according to charges from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

According to SLED’s arrest warrants, the victim stayed with Joshua Brandon Pressley, 30, between August and November 2024 after running away from home. During this time, Pressley provided the victim with illegal drugs and recruited them into performing commercial sex acts, the warrants read. Those commercial sex acts took place across several locations in Richland County, and Pressley collected money from them afterwards, according to the warrants.

The agency also accused Pressley of engaging in sexual intercourse and sexual battery with the victim.

Pressley was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and human trafficking on July 7. He already had a charge of criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 16 from May 13, 2025. That charge was labeled as a second offense, while the July charges were a first offense, according to a press release from SLED. The charge from May is still pending.

The Department of Juvenile Justice requested SLED’s investigation, the press release read. Pressley has been booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to the press release.