Former Clemson player sent explicit messages to 16-year-old, SLED says
A former Clemson football player and Easley Police Department officer has been charged with solicitation of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, disseminating obscene material to a person under the age of 18 and misconduct in office, according to arrest warrants released Monday by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.
Yusef Kelly, 38, was arrested and accused of sending explicit text messages and photos to a 16-year-old he met while working as a resource officer at Easley High School between May and December 2020, according to the SLED investigation.
He was arrested Monday and booked at the Pickens County Detention Center, SLED said in a statement and through arrest warrants.
The findings in the investigation, according to warrants, said Kelly knowingly contacted a minor “with the intent of persuading, inducing, enticing or coercing the person to engage or participate in a sexual activity.” The alleged act violated Kelly’s sworn oath to “properly and faithfully discharge” his duties as an officer, which brought about the misconduct charge.
The arrest and charges come after the Easley Police Department requested an investigation be conducted by SLED, which began in December. Kelly was no longer with Easley PD in April.
Kelly played at Clemson for three seasons and might be best known for photos that captured him kicking a South Carolina player in the head during a brawl between the two squads in 2004.
