South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson today announced that Jeremy Lewis, 23, of Rock Hill, has been sentenced to a total of 46 years in prison after entering an Alford plea to multiple sex charges involving children. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea where the defendant maintains innocence but concedes that the prosecution possesses sufficient evidence to likely secure a conviction at trial.
Lewis’s plea averted a trial scheduled for this week. He pleaded to two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, First Degree, and seven counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, First Degree.
The case began on November 13, 2020, when the York County Sheriff’s Office received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip concerned the uploading of child sexual abuse material to an online application. This material included commonly traded images and videos, as well as material that appeared to be self-produced, which memorialized the sexual assault of a child under the age of one year.
Further investigation successfully linked the IP address associated with the uploads to a residence in Rock Hill connected to Lewis. During a search of the home, law enforcement discovered furniture consistent with what was visible in the assault images and videos. Authorities were ultimately able to identify the victim.
When interviewed, Lewis admitted to receiving child sexual abuse material online but denied assaulting a child. However, tattoos visible in the videos were consistent with tattoos on Lewis’s hands.
Judge R. Keith Kelly in York County imposed a lengthy sentence:
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Criminal Sexual Conduct: Lewis received 25 years on each of the two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, First Degree. These sentences will run concurrently (at the same time).
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Sexual Exploitation: He received three years on each of the seven counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, First Degree. These seven sentences will run consecutive to each other and consecutive to the CSC charges, resulting in a total sentence of 46 years.
Lewis was credited for 1,710 days already served.
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