PICKENS COUNTY — An investigation initiated May 24 by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrest of an Easley man on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Robert Taitinfong Arnold, 62, of 324 Apple Hill Road in Easley, was arrested June 8 and charged with the offense which occurred with a child under the age of 11. According to PCSO officials and available information, Arnold was charged for multiple incidents that occurred throughout 2008.
“No one is crystal clear on the dates in 2008 when these incidents took place, but at this point in the investigation there isn’t anything to indicate there were incidents beyond 2008,” said Creed Hashe, chief deputy for the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. “At this point, unless more information comes to light or there are other victims, all of this occurred during that same time period.”
According to information provided by the PCSO, each incident occurred at Arnold’s Easley residence. Law enforcement became aware of the allegations from a parent of the victim.
“The victim apparently approached a parent and through conversation discussed the 2008 incidents and that’s when the parent contacted law enforcement and our investigation began,” Hashe said.
“There’s no statute of limitations for this criminal offense and it’s not unusual for there to have been a length of time to pass before the incident comes to light,” he said. “In some cases such as this one, the victim may be in their 30s or 40s before they are able to even discuss what has happened to them. In this case, the victim was younger than 11 at the time and is still a minor.”
Arnold, a registered sex offender, is being held on no bond at the Pickens County Detention Center and will appear before a General Sessions judge.
“According to the statute for this case, there is a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years without the possibility of early release or parole,” Hashe said. “That’s the mandatory minimum. A life sentence is also a possibility, but I don’t recall someone getting a life sentence in the local area for this crime and usually it’s the mandatory minimum of 25 years if convicted.”
Arnold and the victim lived in different homes when the incidents occurred in 2008 and according to a statement by PCSO “measures will be taken to ensure that there is no contact between the two.”