Star Athlete-Turned School Security Officer Admits to Sexually Abusing Students, Avoids Jail Time

A South Carolina school security officer was excused of prison time after pleading guilty to having sexual relationships with two students between 2015 and 2018. 

Jamel Bradley, 45, a former deputy in Richland County, S.C., was given probation and ordered to join the sex-offender registry after pleading guilty on Tuesday, Sep. 3, per the Associated Press, The State and WIS 10. 

The original charges he faced were third-degree criminal sexual conduct and sexual battery with a student 16 or 17 years of age, no aggravated force or coercion, the Rickland County online case portal shows.

These charges could have led up to 15 years in prison, per The Washington Post, The State and WIS 10. 

However, following a deal with authorities, Bradley pleaded guilty to sexual battery with one student and assault and battery of the first degree against another student, online court records show.

The investigation revealed Bradley was a popular school resource officer who lured female students from his place of employment and met with them in his office or his patrol car, per The State, citing evidence presented in the case. 

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

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

On another occasion in 2018, Bradley went to a female student's home after school hours, drove her to a dead end and began kissing and touching her, per the Assistant Solicitor Kathryn Cavanaugh, WIS 10 reported.

During his plea, Bradley apologized to his victims, per 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 go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.