FAYETTEVILLE, NC – A South Carolina judge has lifted the gag order surrounding the court case and investigation into a Fayetteville man accused of molesting an underage boy in Darlington County last year.
Michael Gregory Lallier, 63, was arrested in 2016 and charged with third degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Allegedly, the criminal sexual conduct happened at a campground off of Harry Byrd Highway in Darlington Raceway on September 3, 2016.
The arrest warrant, obtained from the Darlington County Clerk of Court, states “the defendant Michael Lallier did engage in sexual battery by using his hands to fondle the victim under his clothes to sexually arouse himself and the victim.”
The original incident report adds that the victim’s father contacted deputies to file the report after the victim was taken home and told his mother what happened. The victim provided investigators details about the camper and lot it was parked in and also mentioned “evidence used on him.” When investigators found the “evidence” in a trash can in the camper, they took Lallier into custody, the incident report states.
Former Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd said in an original press release that his office was made aware of the allegation against Lallier on September 5, 2016.
According to Darlington County court documents, the gag order, put into effect in Spetember 2016, was originally put in place to ensure “the fair administration of justice in this case”.
This is not the first time Lallier has been in court over sexual conduct offenses. According to court documents, a former dealership employee claims he was fired after complaining about Lallier.
The former employee claimed Lallier sought sexual relationships with at least seven young male employees. These documents also state the young men threatened to or did file legal claims against Lallier.
In the documents obtained by CBS North Carolina, two instances are said to have occurred where settlements of up to $450,000 were made to settle the misconduct claims.Note: In an earlier story on this case, it was written that officials were made aware of this incident on August 5, 2016. Court documentation proves this date to instead be September 5, 2016. This article provides the correction of that earlier date.
