From staff reports
A 42-year-old Beaufort man who sexually assaulted a teen runaway at a Port Royal motel is being sent to prison.
Nicholas Antonette Todd of Elizabeth Lane pleaded guilty Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Beaufort County Courthouse to second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between the ages of 11 and 14, and to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Todd was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He also must register as a sex offender.
“Instead of helping a vulnerable 13-year-old, this defendant chose manipulation, coercion and deceit for his own depraved gratification,” said C.J. Lent of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “He ultimately caused untold harm to a young person. Prison is exactly where Mr. Todd needs to be.”
On Jan. 10, Port Royal police were called to the Super 8 Motel on Ribaut Road after someone spotted a teenage girl with an unknown man, later identified as Todd. Officers found the girl in a hotel room with Todd. She had hickeys on her neck, which she later told officers Todd gave her. After being arrested, Todd admitted to having sex with the girl multiple times after he picked her up the day before. She had asked him for a ride to her grandparents’ house in Walterboro.
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down the sentence.
