Trammell
LEXINGTON — Undercover investigators recently arrested a Newberry man as part of an operation targeting potential sexual predators trying to contact children for sexual activity.
Hunter Allen Trammell, 20, of Newberry was charged second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, criminal solicitation of a minor.
“We, along with the Lexington Police Department and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, served as the host agencies for this operation,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “Officers pretended to be underage teenagers as the suspects messaged them through social media apps. After the suspect asked to meet with ‘the child,’ detectives were staged at a predetermined meeting spot to arrest them.”
No children were ever used or placed in danger during the operation, according to Koon.
“There is no doubt about the intent of these suspects when the messages and images they sent are reviewed,” Koon said. “That’s why it’s important for parents to know who their children are communicating with online because sexual predators are looking for opportunities to exploit them.”
As members of the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the City of Cayce Police Department, the Mount Pleasant Police Department, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Aiken, South Carolina Government Department of Public Safety, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the West Columbia Police Department, the Irmo Police Department, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office and the Camden Police Department, also participated in the operation, according to Koon.
“This operation is the result of strong relationships among law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels.” Koon said. “I’d like to thank Attorney General Alan Wilson for making members of his office available for this operation as part of his continued commitment to local law enforcement.”