South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News Bulletin – 12-20-17
South Carolina man who wanted to have sex with a 14-year-old Augusta, Georgia girl gets relatively light sentence, avoids child porn trial in sweetheart plea bargain
Prosecutors dropped a child porn charge involving a prepubescent child engaged in explicit sex
Plus Augusta Chronicle aka Augusta Comical dropped ball in coverage – did not even give man’s hometown – or any perspective – guess it was not that important to paper
By Greg Peterson
South Eastern Social Justice Breaking News
Co-Owner, News Director
906-273-2433
(Augusta, GA) – An Spartanburg, SC man indicted on federal child porn charge and trying to have sex with a young teen in Augusta, GA was given a light prison sentence after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors.
In October, a Fort Gordon Solider received more federal prison time for child porn for less involvement.
Under the plea agreement, Kenneth Dale Smith of Spartanburg, SC pleaded guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual contact, a federal felony. He is now a convicted Georgia sex offender/child predator.
Smith dodged a big bullet with this plea agreement as prosecutors dismissed a child porn charge involving images of a prepubescent girl younger than 12 years old engaging in explicit sex. Smith is 44 years old.
Smith was sentenced last week to five years in federal prison (56 months) and 20 years supervised release. He could have been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Richard H. Goolsby was Smith’s defense lawyer. Pulling off such a great deal is a good start to elevating Goolsby to the legendary figure that was his father – tough prosecutor.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The 44-year-old Smith was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge J. Randall Hall in the Southern District of Georgia.
The original federal indictment against Smith describe the possessing of child porn charge – that was dropped as part of the agreement with federal prosecutors.
Smith did “unlawfully possess, material which contained one or more images of child pornography …. that involved a prepubescent minor, a minor who had not attained twelve (12) years of age, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, said images having been shipped or transported using a means or facility of interstate.”
Smith traveled on April 26, 2017 from South Carolina to Augusta, Georgia “for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct,” the plea agreement states.
Smith drove to Georgia for “a sexual act with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl,” the plea bargain states.
The federal prosecutors in the case are Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Troy Clark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Green Rhodes, lead counsel and deputy chief at criminal division.
35-year-old Michael Lavon Harden of Augusta, GA was sentenced to three years (36 months) in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Court Judge J. Randall Hall on Mon., Dec. 17, 2017.
get hurt
At about 4:30 a.m. on Fri, Dec. 15, 2017, two suspects with handguns held up the Shell Gas station/Circle K at 10308 Atomic Rd, in North Augusta.
50-year-old Lawrence Chavious of Clearwater, SC was arrested about 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 with felony domestic violence in the third degree. His past includes possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, possession of knife during the commission of a violent crime, criminal sexual conduct in the 1st degree, Burglary, domestic violence, kidnapping and more.
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