Fountain Inn police officer Adam Kyle Snelgrove, 33, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor and misconduct in office in a plea deal where prosecutors dropped the felony criminal sexual conduct with a minor charge in exchange for a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges last week.
Snelgrove will serve no jail time.
Even after he used his gun and badge to intimidate a 15-year-old, coercing her into skipping school, so he could sexually assault her in his patrol car.
As part of the deal, Snelgrove will serve three years of probation.
Initial warrants filed for Snelgrove’s arrest indicated he was facing a slew of felonies including criminal sexual conduct with a minor, criminal solicitation of a minor.
Arrest reports state Snelgrove had sex with the girl inside of his city issued-patrol car while on-duty by coercing her, often times using his weapon, to skip school so he could sexually assault her.
As part of the deal, Snelgrove will not have to register as a sex offender.
But will have to turn over his badge and ability to ever work in law enforcement again as part of his guilty pleas, according to Greenville News.
A lawsuit filed by the alleged victim, identified in court records as “Jane Doe,” allege the Fountain Inn police department failed to protect the victim, who they “owed a duty of care.”
The lawsuit claims the victim, who was 15 at the time, had volunteered to assist with the Fountain Inn Police Department’s summer youth camp during the spring of 2012, where she met Snelgrove.
The victim claims Snelgrove sexually assaulted her at Frankie’s Fun Park during one of the events scheduled for the Fountain Inn Police Department youth camp.
The victim alleges officer Snelgrove repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim “on numerous occasions” in his patrol car while on duty after the initial event.
Snelgrove manipulated the girl by using the power of his position and his firearm, coercing her “to skip school in order to sexually assault her in his patrol car” and the victim was “unable to resist the unwanted sexual advances out of fear of retribution,” the lawsuit says.
In a related story, KXAN News recently conducted an investigation into Texas police charged with serious crimes, showing that in almost call cases officers were offered plea deals that allowed them to escape prison or jail time altogether, without ever serving even one day, if they agree as part of a guilty plea to give up their law enforcement license or ever work as a police officer again.
Many of the officers faced serious charges like robbery, aggravated assault and rape.
Watch KXAN’s full report below.
