Laurens man gets 25 years for sex crimes with minors
James Redd, Jr.
A Laurens man prosecutors called a “child predator” was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to assaulting three girls under the age of 9 over about a one-year period.
James Edward Redd, Jr., 31, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, first-degree criminal sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor during a plea proceeding at the Laurens County Judicial Complex at Hillcrest.
Eighth Circuit Judge Frank Addy, Jr., sentenced Redd to 25 years on the first-degree sexual conduct with a minor charge, 20 years on the charge of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 15 years on each charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Redd must serve a minimum of 85 percent of the 25-year sentence.
Addy also issued three permanent restraining orders for Redd regarding the three victims.
“Our society has no room for sick sexual predators like James Redd, who exploit children for their own pleasure,” 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo said following the sentencing. “I am glad that we were able to secure justice for these young victims without them having to relive the horror of the abuse in court. We will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement to pursue predators like James Redd and fight for our children.”
Stumbo prosecuted the case for the state.
In October 2017, Redd’s then girlfriend suspected Redd of infidelity and began searching through his phone. She found a sexually explicit video depicting Redd with a child under the age of 5 who lived in the home. Redd’s girlfriend immediately notified authorities who then obtained a search warrant for Redd’s phone. On the phone, investigators found more video and photo evidence of Redd molesting two other children under the age of 9.
Investigators spoke with Redd, and he admitted to committing the acts. Redd confessed to investigators that that he had been smoking marijuana and watching pornography, prompting him to begin acting out fantasies he had in his head.
