SUMTER, S.C. — A Sumter County couple has been arrested and charged with human trafficking an underage victim in a scheme that lasted roughly two years.
According to a statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and warrants provided from the arrests, Will Fullwood was first taken into custody on Feb. 4 on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and unlawful conduct toward a child in Dorchester County.
However, he was soon transferred to the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center on an additional charge of trafficking in persons where the victim is under the age of 18. SLED said in a statement that his girlfriend, Tina Mae Epps, was also charged with the human trafficking of a minor.
Their arrests follow a tip from the South Carolina Department of Social Services after its agents learned of the human trafficking claims against the Fullwood.
Further investigation found that the victim's approved caretaker, who was not named in the warrants, had allowed the suspects to be with the juvenile without supervision after being paid.
Warrant affidavits also suggest the caretaker assisted Fullwood in being vetted through a third party company that contracts with the Department of Social Services to allow him to be approved for guardianship "which otherwise would not have been permitted by the South Carolina Department of Social Services."
This allowed the accused couple further access to the victim, the affidavit states, during which he groomed her for
Warrants stated that during the visits, Fullwood would sexually assault the victim with "gifts, money, bribes, threats and actual physical and sexual violence."
The assaults allegedly occurred at the suspects' home and at hotels in Sumter County.
Meanwhile, the victim said that Fullwood's girlfriend wouldn't act to stop the trafficking despite sharing the home with Fullwood and later admitting in a statement to law enforcement that she was aware it was occurring.
Investigators said Epps even assisted in mailing checks to the victim while she was in the care of DSS since Fullwood could not read or write.
Since their arrests, Fullwood and Epps have been released on bond. The case will now be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.
In addition to SLED and DSS, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, Sumter Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigation were also involved in the investigation.
“The Human Trafficking problem has continued to increase across our nation, significantly in the last two years. There is no place in our society for this type of behavior," Sumter County Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner said in a statement provided by SLED. "We are proud of our partnership to work with these agencies to apprehend those responsible and rescue victims of this horrible crime.”