Bluffton man faces 7 new felony charges involving sexual assault of minors

A Bluffton man faces seven additional felony charges in relation to new evidence collected following his Jan. 5 arrest in which he was charged with the sexual assaults of two children.

Joseph Hunter, 71, was originally charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one third-degree count of the same charge in connection to accusations of sexual conduct with two minors between 2006 and 2010.

Forensic examinations of electronic devices seized from his home at that time “revealed substantial evidence of additional crimes committed by Hunter,” according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office release.

This week, investigators met with a Beaufort County magistrate and presented the new evidence.

The magistrate then issued warrants for Hunter’s arrest on one third-degree count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, one first-degree count of sexual exploitation of a minor and five third-degree counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the release said.

Hunter, who had been out on bail since January, turned himself in Thursday and was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center.

Bond was denied by a magistrate Friday morning, the release said.

Anyone with information can contact Sgt. Douglas Seifert at 843-255-3414 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Bluffton man faces 7 new felony charges involving sexual assault of minors."