South Carolina Child Caught STD From Sex Offender


A South Carolina child has been infected with an STD, and authorities say she caught the infection from a registered sex offender. WNCN News reports that 23-year-old Ricky Anthony Yeldell, Jr. has pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a five-year-old girl. Now he’s facing 20 years of imprisonment for his crimes, but is it long enough?

The incident reportedly took place sometime in 2014, and was discovered when the five-year-old girl was taken to a medical center with symptoms of an STD. It was at the Self Regional Medical Center that staff discovered that the child had been sexually assaulted and infected with a sexually transmitted disease. When she was interviewed, the five-year-old victim described incidents of sexual abuse to nurses, evidently naming Yeldell, Jr., as the person responsible for her STD.

Authorities had the South Carolina man tested, and to no surprise he was positive for the very same STD that had infected the child. This served as further evidence to the fact that the child was assaulted.

Tasha Ford was arrested after her toddler contracted an STD. [Photo via Warren County Sheriff's Office]
Tasha Ford was arrested after her toddler contracted an STD. [Photo via Warren County Sheriff’s Office]
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a child has been infected with an STD during a sexual assault at the hands of an adult. In 2015, a Mississippi toddler tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease, which led to the arrest of the girl’s mother. Tasha Ford was arrested because she allegedly failed to seek medical help for her daughter, who had been infected with the STD and was showing symptoms.

In 2014, it was reported that a 50-year-old New York man sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl during a party hosted by the child’s parents. The mother reportedly caught him in the act, and took the girl to the hospital. It was there that the child tested positive for STDs, though it hasn’t been clarified as to which sexually transmitted disease she caught from the 50-year-old man.

Also, in 2014, a Texas man was charged with the horrifying rape of a 23-month-old baby. The convicted sex offender not only allegedly raped the infant, but he transmitted HIV to the innocent baby as well. The baby also tested positive for chlamydia and herpes. During the course of the investigation, authorities found that the only person living in the home who had STDs, HIV in particular, was 33-year-old David Richard Wilson.

As for this latest horrifying case of child abuse, the conviction of the South Carolina man is attracting attention on social media. Most people are expressing absolute anger and disgust at the fact that this man not only sexually assaulted a five-year-old child, but he gave her an STD.

Like with most reports of this nature, the particular sexually transmitted disease has not been revealed by media reports. Hopefully the disease was a curable one, and the child victim in this case can move on with her life, safe from the man who caused her so much harm and emotional trauma.

Reports have stated that the South Carolina man will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life once he is released from prison. Furthermore, he will be monitored and barred from having any contact with children. If he violates any of the conditions of his parole — in approximately 20 years — he will be sent back to prison for an additional 15 years. Do you think the punishment in this case is fitting to the crimes that this sex offender admitted to committing?

[Photo via Greenwood Police Dept.]

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