(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------An Oconee County man remains in jail today, due to his bond being denied, after being arrested yesterday by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of Criminal Sexual Conduct – First Degree.
35 year old Christopher Mathis McConnell, of Fountain Falls Road, was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center at around 4:39pm Wednesday. McConnell will appear before a Circuit Court Judge, at a later date, regarding his bond.
The Sheriff’s Office began an investigation on January 8th of this year after a School Resource Officer, who is assigned to a school in the School District of Oconee County, met with employees of a school and the victim, who is a teenager. During the initial stages of the investigation, the victim told the SRO of a sexual assault involving McConnell that occurred on October 2nd of last year when the victim was still a minor.
The Department of Social Services was also contacted and the investigation was turned over to a Violent Crimes Investigator with the Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Based upon evidence that was obtained during the investigation, an arrest warrant was obtained against McConnell on the Criminal Sexual Conduct charge. According to the arrest warrant, McConnell committed a sexual battery against the victim while using means of aggravated force. The incident involved only one victim.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation. Due to the nature of the crime, and in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, and that of the teenager who is the victim of a sex crime, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office will not release any information that could in any way identify the victim in this investigation.