Philip Gerald Simoneaux (Image: Richland County Detention Center)
Richland County, SC (WLTX) - Richland County deputies have arrested a man they say sexually assaulted two girls in the 1980s.
Phillip Gerald Simoneaux, 65, is charged with sexual assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Officers say they were contacted last July by two victims who said they were assaulted by Simoneaux years ago.
Sheriff Leon Lott says an investigation revealed that one female victim was assaulted in 1985 at a location in Columbia. At the time of the incident, the girl was 13-years-old. In the other case, a victim who said she was 16-years-old in 1989 said she was assaulted at a home in Northeast Richland County.
Simoneaux was arrested Tuesday in North Charleston by Richland County deputies with the help of police there.
Lott praised the women for coming forward and says all victims of sexual assault deserve personal attention and that their attackers are prosecuted.