CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – A Charleston County man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Emeric Hamilton, 50, was found guilty of one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years by Circuit Court Judge Jennifer McCoy, according to Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.
A jury found Hamilton guilty after trial testimony showed he approached an 11-year-old girl on Alabama Street in North Charleston on April 18, 2019. Hamilton took the girl into his home and forcibly sexually assaulted her in his bedroom, a release from the solicitor’s office states.
The girl immediately reported the incident to the North Charleston Police Department and was taken to MUSC where she received a sexual assault examination, the solicitor’s office said.
“Emeric Hamilton, and those like him are the reason it is so important for us to have a Special Victim’s Unit here in the Ninth Circuit. It takes dedication and expertise to work with victims who have been damaged by abuse. This conviction validates the victim’s trust in the judicial system. Judge McCoy’s sentence and will send a strong message to those who prey on vulnerable children,” Wilson said in the release.
The solicitor’s office said the case went cold for two years until they were able to match DNA to Hamilton.
The trial lasted two days and included testimony from the victim, nurses and experts with MUSC and scientists from SLED.
The case was tried by Nicholas Harris and Lauren Mulkey Frierson, head of the Ninth Circuit Special Victim’s Unit.
The solicitor’s office said Frierson noted the victim’s tremendous bravery.
“The victim, now 17, had to [relive] the details of this assault in a courtroom, testifying across the room from the defendant. We are very appreciative of the jury’s diligent deliberations in reaching a verdict that now allows the Victim closure and a sense of justice.”
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