A former deputy working as a school resource officer at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina had sex with a 17-year-old student in his patrol car while in uniform, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.
40-year-old Jamel Bradley is the former deputy that is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Bradley is also being investigated into his conduct with other students at the high school, WISTV reports.
Bradley was removed from the school in 2018 when he was sued in federal court over a relationship with a different student, but Bradley still remained a deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The sex act with the 17-year-old Spring Valley High School student that led to Bradley’s November 20, 2019 arrest took place last year, arrest affidavits state. It did not happen at Spring Valley High School, where Bradley worked, the sheriff’s department said.
A department investigation found Bradley engaged in criminal sexual activity with the 17-year-old victim.
Sheriff Lott said the following in a statement:
“I’m sick to my stomach over the thought of this girl being victimized by one of my former deputies. No child should be subjected to this, and I’m disgusted that it happened with someone who was entrusted with protecting our children.”
The federal lawsuit against Bradley and the sheriff’s department includes other allegations of Bradley having had inappropriate contact with students. Another Spring Valley High School student accused Bradley of assaulting her multiple times while she was a freshman and sophomore. The allegations include unwanted kissing, touching and fondling, according to the lawsuit.
In another case, he was a girl’s friend on Facebook. In another case, a cheer leading coach from a different high school told officials that Bradley might be having inappropriate contact with a cheerleader. In another case Bradley was allegedly seen by a co-worker in a retail parking lot with a teenager at 10:30 pm.