Former volunteer at York church pleads guilty to improper touching of child
Date Shared:
September 15th, 2023
Date Released:
September 7th, 2023
Source:
heraldonline.com
Excerpt
- A former volunteer at a York, S.C., church has been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to improperly touching a child while at church in 2021, according to court records and prosecutors.
- Ira James Summerlin, 77, of York, pleaded guilty in York County criminal court Wednesday to third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, said prosecutor Misti Shelton, 16th Circuit assistant deputy solicitor.
The crime happened in late January 2021 at Central Baptist Church where Summerlin was a volunteer in a childrens program, Shelton said. The church banned Summerlin from church property after his arrest and ended his affiliation, church officials said in 2021 after his arrest.
- Summerlin was arrested by York Police Department detectives in 2021 after police obtained video that showed the incident, records show.
- Before the guilty plea, Summerlin had no prior criminal record
- S.C. Circuit Court Judge Eugene Griffith sentenced Summerlin to eight months active time in the S.C. Department of Corrections, according to Shelton and records in the case. The judge reduced a six-year prison term to the eight months, records show.
- A conviction for the charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, South Carolina law shows.
- Summerlin also was sentenced to 30 months probation, and must register as a convicted sex offender upon release from prison
heraldonline.com