PICKENS, SC (WBTW) – SLED announced Thursday a police officer has been arrested for illegal sexual activities involving minors.
Twenty-eight-year old Akiel Jamar McKnight was charged with misconduct in office, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of criminal solicitation of a minor, according to state law enforcement.
Booking information from the J Reuben Long Detention Center says the 28-year-old from Andrews was booked in Horry County Tuesday at 7:43 p.m.after being arrested by US Marshals. Records also note McKnight was released at 8:53 p.m. and moved to the Pickens County Detention Center.
Warrants say Mcknight asked the child to send “sexually explicit photos and/ or videos.” Warrants also say he is accused of buying or selling sexually explicit images of a minor. The alleged crimes occurred in Pickens County between October of 2017 and November of 2018.
Atlantic Beach Police Chief Quentin Robinson confirms McKnight was an officer with the Atlantic Beach Police Department. A release from the Atlantic Beach Police Department says McKnight was brought on at a probationary level in December 13, 2018 and he was terminated from his position Thursday afternoon after the department reviewed SLED’s report.
McKnight previously worked for the Pickens Police Department, the Georgetown Police Department and the Andrews Police Department, according to files from the SC Criminal Justice Academy. The press release from SLED says the Pickens Police Department requested the investigation after terminating McKnight.
McKnight filed a lawsuit against the Pickens Police Department in November 2018. In that lawsuit, McKnight alleges he was discriminated against for his race and sexual orientation. The suit has since been moved from state to federal court.
The City of Pickens issued a statement stating they will not be commenting on the incident nor releasing any statements on the investigation.