Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Seven Men in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Officer, the Department of Homeland Security and the Internet Crime against Children Task Force, arrested seven men over the course of two days this week on Sexual Exploitation of a Minor charges.

Search warrants were executed at seven different addresses in the county over the past two days. The search and arrest warrants were obtained, based upon evidence that was gathered during investigations, after an Investigator with the Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possession and/or distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

At this time, Investigators do not have any evidence that any of the Child Sexual Abuse Material was manufactured inside of Oconee County. The evidence seized indicated that the material was possessed by all seven suspects, and in some instances, was then distributed over the internet.

According to the Investigator, the ages of the victims in the Child Sexual Abuse Material ranged from 3 years to 16 years of age, and primarily contained images of girls. However, in one investigation, the images were that of a boy.

The following individuals were arrested during the execution of the search warrants and were arrested based on the following charges:

· Ernest Joseph McDonald 23 years old New Madison Road, Westminster, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 3rd Degree – One Count – Released after posting $124,000 bond

· Thomas Gerald Allred 45 years old Easter Lane, Seneca, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 2nd Degree – Four Counts – awaiting bond

· Terry Randall Belk, Jr. 23 years old Oak Tree Drive, Seneca, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 2nd Degree – One Count – awaiting bond

· Jon Joseph Carranza 26 years old Ralph Sheriff Road, Seneca, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 2nd Degree – One Count – awaiting bond

· Richard David Raffl 74 years old Lake Ridge Circle, Walhalla, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 3rd Degree – One Count – Bond set at $50,000

· William Douglas Minner 59 years old Cheohee Valley Road, Tamassee, SC

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 3rd Degree – 20 counts – Bond set at $200,000

· Robert Mann Hagan 74 years old Violet Fields Lane, Seneca, SC 

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 3rd Degree – One Count – Bond set at $50,000

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation, and no further information will be released at this time, including any additional information that could, either directly or indirectly, identify any minor victim in this investigation.