Bamberg County councilman Kerry “Trent” Kinard, who was arrested on multiple child sex charges, posted bond this week.
On Monday, a judge set Kinard‘s bond at $75,0000, under the condition that he will be banned from Bamberg County for 90 days, wear an ankle monitor, and have no contact with his alleged victims. It is very rare for a judge to ban a defendant from the same county which holds jurisdiction.
He posted bond and was released from jail on Wednesday, WRDW reported.
Kinard, 49, of Bamberg, S.C. is facing charges of first-degree assault and battery, first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, criminal solicitation of a minor (two counts) and dissemination of obscene material (two counts).
Kinard is being represented by author, CNN commentator and former state representative Bakari Sellers, who argued in court this week that Kinard was not a danger to himself or others after he completed a mental health evaluation
He was denied bond pending the evaluation in September. In early October, South Carolina state representative Justin Bamberg asked Kinard to step down from his position for the sake of the taxpayers.
In the letter addressed to Sellers, representative Bamberg requested that Kinard “voluntarily resigns from his position on Bamberg County Council immediately.”
“Despite the ongoing situation, there is much work that remains to be done in Bamberg County and the citizens always come first,” Bamberg wrote. “While I understand that Governor McMaster does not presently possess the authority to remove Councilman Kinard from office, he would be authorized to do so should a grand jury indict Councilman Kinard.”
As of this writing, Kinard still has not stepped down from his position. According to South Carolina law, Kinard will be suspended from office upon his formal indictment pending the resolution of the charges against him.
Keep in mind, elected officials can still get health insurance, paid by the taxpayers, while they’re in office.
According to an award nomination, Kinard was very active in the Bamberg community. He was the PTO President of an elementary school, a youth football and basketball coach, and worked at the University of South Carolina as a sports information director.
Kinard is a former S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) trooper who was first elected to his seat in 2012. He lost his reelection bid in the 2020 Democratic primary to challenger Phil Myers, however.
Kinard could face life in prison for the charges.
FITSNews founding editor Will Folks previously reported that probable cause affidavits accompanying the indictments against Kinard detailed graphic child sex crimes dating back to 2008 – as well as crimes that allegedly took place as recently as September of this year.
And more charges could be coming.
Stay tuned. We will continue to stay on top of this story as it develops.
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