From star athlete to school security guard: He confesses to having sex with students and avoids a prison sentence

Jamel Bradley, 45, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two schoolgirls in Columbia, South Carolina

A South Carolina school security guard was spared from prison after pleading guilty to having sexual relations with two female students between 2015 and 2018.

Jamel Bradley, 45, a former deputy sheriff in Richland County, South Carolina, received a suspended sentence and was ordered to sign the sex offender registry after pleading guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the Associated Press reported. The State and WIS 10.

According to Rickland County's online case portal, the original charges against him were third-degree sexual abuse and sexual battery of a 16- or 17-year-old student, but not aggravated violence or coercion.

This charge could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to 15 years, per The Washington Post, The State and WIS 10.

However, according to online court records, Bradley pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a student and first-degree assault of another student after reaching an agreement with authorities.

The investigation revealed that Bradley was a popular school police officer who lured female students away from his workplace and met with them in his office or patrol car, per The Stateciting evidence presented in the case.

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Bradley is a former basketball player at the University of South Carolina, where he was the team's leading scorer as a junior and senior, according to the Associated Press.

According to WISTV, he was first charged in 2019 in connection with sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old student. According to WIS 10, a student at the high school where Bradley worked told authorities in 2015 that she had a consensual relationship with him during her senior year.

On another occasion in 2018, Bradley went to a student's house after school, drove her to a dead-end street and began kissing and touching her, according to Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Cavanaugh, WIS 10 reported.

During his plea, Bradley apologized to his victims, according to the Associated Press. The State and WIS 10.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 170 languages.

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