Beaufort man charged with sexually abusing two children, police say
The Beaufort Police Department has arrested a man alleged to have sexually abused two children, according to a department news release issued Friday.
Michael Hendrix, 21, of Beaufort, was arrested Thursday, according to the release, after police responded Tuesday to a report of “sexual abuse of a child under the age of 11” at a home in a subdivision off Ribaut Road.
A woman called the police department and reported Hendrix had “committed a sexual battery” on one of her children. While officers were investigating that incident, a second child “spontaneously reported ... that she, too, was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Hendrix,” the release said.
At the residence, officers determined the living conditions for the children were “unsanitary and unsafe,” and, given the criminal allegations, called the Beaufort County Department of Social Services.
That agency took all children in the household into emergency protective custody, according to the release. The children’s mother was arrested for “interfering with police and resisting arrest.”
Police subsequently interviewed Hendrix and arrested him, charging him with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the first degree, according to the release.
First-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor “occurs when a person engages in sexual battery with a victim who is less than 11 years of age,” the release said.
It is a felony charge, according to the S.C. Code of Laws.
Hendrix is currently awaiting a bond hearing, the release said.
He was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the detention center’s website.
According to the detention center’s website, and the Beaufort County 14th Circuit public index, Hendrix also faces a charge for simple possession of marijuana.
“At this time, the investigation ... is still ongoing,” the release said.
“(A)ny additional information will be released when it becomes available.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 11:50 AM.