Georgia man convicted of sex crimes involving teen going to prison in SC, prosecutor says
A Georgia man will spend decades behind bars in the South Carolina prison system after pleading guilty to sex crimes involving an underage teen, the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Wednesday.
On March 1, Michael Shawn Copson appeared in a Lexington County court and was sentenced to 28 years in prison, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.
The 37-year-old Savannah resident received two consecutive 14-year prison sentences after he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, according to the release. Under South Carolina law, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor is classified as a violent and most serious offense, the solicitor’s office said.
Copson faced a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the felony charges, according to South Carolina law.
Copson is not eligible for parole and must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison, according to the solicitor’s office.
In March 2022, it was discovered that a then 35-year-old Copson had been consistently traveling from Savannah to a Lexington County home to visit acquaintances, according to the release. During this time, Copson began a sexual relationship with a fourteen-year old minor, the solicitor’s office said.
The sex crimes continued for about nine months before they were discovered and reported to law enforcement, according to the release. During an interview with investigators, Copson admitted to having illegal sexual contact with the minor, the solicitor’s office said.
“While the State is not alleging Copson used physical force … this was by no means a consensual sexual relationship; this is a classic and egregious case of grooming,” Assistant Solicitor Ashley Wellman said during the guilty plea hearing, according to the release.
“Grooming refers to behaviors often used by adult perpetrators to build a relationship of trust with a child in an effort to exploit or abuse the minor,” the solicitor’s office said. Wellman explained that grooming is an attempt to “normalize the abuse and obtain the child’s continued compliance.”
During their investigation, members of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Unit determined there were multiple occasions when Copson bought inappropriate gifts for the minor, intimidated her, and attempted to isolate her from her family, according to the release. That is all consistent with grooming behaviors, the solicitor’s office said.
Copson has been held at the Lexington County Detention Center since being extradited from Georgia on Nov. 11, 2022, according to the release. As of Wednesday, Copson was still listed on the jail’s inmate roster, but the solicitor’s office said he will be transferred to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.
In addition to Wellman, the case was also prosecuted by fellow assistant solicitor Jordan Cox, according to the release. Public defender Megan Kendall Gresham was listed as Copson’s attorney, Lexington County court records show.
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This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Georgia man convicted of sex crimes involving teen going to prison in SC, prosecutor says."
