Bluffton man accused of physically, sexually assaulting a minor for years, police say
After a months-long investigation, a 39-year-old Bluffton man was arrested and charged with criminal sexual conduct Tuesday.
James Ethridge Jones faces a charge of second-degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, according to Beaufort County court documents.
According to a Bluffton Police report, the department began investigating allegations against Jones in early January when they were contacted by Hopeful Horizons — a local children’s advocacy, domestic violence and rape crisis center. The Hopeful Horizons employee told police she had been advised a 16-year-old Bluffton resident had been molested for eight to nine years.
During an interview with the victim, she told police she was both physically and sexually abused by Jones in multiple states and cities, the report said. She said the abuse began when she was 6 years old and living in Bluffton and it continued until 2017.
Second-degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct is a felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, according to S.C. law.
Jones was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center at 1:19 p.m. Tuesday and was still confined as of Friday afternoon, according to the jail log. As of 2 p.m. Friday, no bond information was listed on the jail log or in court documents.
This story was originally published May 3, 2019 at 2:30 PM.
