By Mike McCombs
The Island News
A Beaufort-Jasper EOC Head Start employee who worked at Beaufort Elementary School was arrested last week after admitting she possessed an inappropriate photo of a child.
Holli Hodges, a Head Start staff member assigned to Classroom 2 at Beaufort Elementary, was charged with third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to a statement from the Beaufort-Jasper EOC, which oversees Head Start, Hodges on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 31, informed a direct supervisor that she possessed an inappropriate photo of a child. That supervisor immediately contacted law enforcement, social services, the school, the Beaufort County School District, and parents of children in Head Start. Hodges was terminated within the hour.
The Beaufort Police Department was the law enforcement agency first made aware of a potential criminal incident involving Hodges. According to a statement from the Beaufort Police, officers contacted Hodges, and she responded by voluntarily coming early Tuesday evening to the Beaufort Police Department, where she was escorted to an interview room.
“We called her to come to the station,” Deputy Chief Stephenie Price, spokesperson for the Beaufort Police said. “But we got to discuss nothing with her.”
According to Price, before officers could ask any questions or take any statements, Hodges assaulted them, biting and kicking them.
“Though the officers were assaulted, they didn’t require any hospitalization or anything,” Price said. “There were no serious injuries.”
According to Beaufort Police, Hodges was taken into custody, and a search at the time of her arrest revealed she was in possession of a Schedule II drug. Price would not immediately confirm what drug Hodges had in her possession.
“To be honest, it was all a bit shocking,” Price said. “It usually doesn’t work like that.”
Hodges was transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center and charged with five counts of Assault and Battery, 3rd Degree, one count of Resisting Arrest, and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance.
At that point, the investigation was turned over to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
“She lives out in the county, not in the city,” Maj. Angela Viens, a BCSO spokesperson, said. “Given that we had to execute searches, it was clean for us to adopt (the case), for the sake of the investigation.”
According to the BCSO, investigators have verified that Hodges possessed at least one inappropriate image of a child, which constitutes a violation of South Carolina law.
On Tuesday night, BCSO investigators seized electronic items belonging to Hodges, and the items have been submitted to the S.C. Attorney General’s office for forensic examination.
An arrest warrant charging Hodges with third-degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor was obtained on Wednesday, Nov. 1, from a Beaufort County magistrate and served on Hodges, already incarcerated at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
As of Tuesday night, Nov. 7, Hodges remains at the Beaufort County Detention Center. Her bond has been set at $61,525 – $50,000 for the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor charge; $5,000 for Possession of a Controlled Substance; and $1087.50 for each of the five Assault and Battery charges and the single Resisting Arrest charge.
Head Start services roughly 530 children from all across the Beaufort County School District (BCSD), from birth to 5 years old – typically the most disadvantaged.
The program is allotted space in the schools, but the program hires its own people and those people are not employees of the BCSD.
“Head Start is committed to the health and safety of the children we serve,” Beaufort-Jasper EOC Executive Director James Williams told The Island News. “Our focus now is the welfare of the families and children possibly impacted by this.”
Williams said support services were being made available to those children and families affected by this event. Families were also informed that Head Start classroom would be closed for three days.
Because Head Start is a federally funded program, Williams reiterated that the program must follow strict hiring guidelines – both federal and state. Hodges was hired in March.
“Our teachers and staff are vetted thoroughly,” he said.
Beaufort County School District spokesperson Candace Bruder was clear that the district has no input on who Head Start hires.
“Beaufort County School District is unable to comment on an active law enforcement investigation or speak on behalf of Head Start which is an independent, federally funded organization,” Bruder said in a statement.
She did confirm that Hodges was formally employed as a BCSD kindergarten assistant at Port Royal Elementary School from August 2020 to October 2021.
“This is an active investigation,” Viens said. “Additional charges may be forthcoming as the case progresses.”
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
