Man gets eight years for sexual abuse
Sexual assault
An Aiken County septuagenarian has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually abusing a handicapped relative over the course of 30 years.
Brenist Gunter, 73, appeared in court Wednesday to be sentenced on two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. The charges, to which Gunter pleaded guilty on Monday, involved inappropriate touching of a relative.
On Monday, Gunter's comments seemed to incense presiding Judge Doyet A. "Jack" Early as the defendant admitted the charges, but did not apologize.
"It appears to me that he is in total control of his family and showed utterly no remorse," Early said.
The victim reportedly does not want the defendant to go to prison, neither does the victim's primary caregiver.
In court on Monday, Gunter spoke up and the appearance turned into "a debacle," according to his defense attorney.
Early told the court Wednesday that Gunter blamed his relative, who suffers from cerebral palsy, and no one involved seemed to understand the gravity of the crime.
"He has taken a tremendous advantage of his family for a long time and needs to be punished," the judge said.
According to Assistant Solicitor Steve Kodman, Gunter's family treated the attacks by taking him to their church for counseling but never involved law enforcement until more recently.
The attacks did not involve sexual intercourse, rather inappropriate touching and the defendant exposing himself to the victim.
Gunter's full sentence is eight years in prison, followed by five years of probation, sex offender registration and to have no contact with the victim.
Domestic assault
A Trenton man who tried to blame his infant son for marks he was accused of leaving on a family member was sentenced Wednesday for the third time for criminal domestic violence.
Jeremy J. Ard, 30, of 412 Polks Lane, was sentenced to a year in jail or a $500 fine after being convicted of grabbing a female family member by the throat and striking her with an unknown object.
Ard did not admit his guilt, entering an Alford plea, and said his 1-year-old son might have been responsible for bruising the woman. The excuse did not sit well with the sentencing judge.
"You better stand up and take it like a man rather than blaming your 1-year-old son," Early snapped back at the defendant when he offered the excuse.
In an Alford plea, a defendant takes the bargain of admitting his guilt before trial but does not admit to the crime. The defendant was allowed to plead to criminal domestic violence second offense because the case against him was weakened by the victim retracting her statement, prosecutors said.
School burglary
One of three men accused of breaking into North Augusta High School and stealing thousands of dollars of electronics pleaded guilty Wednesday.
Edward Combs, 23, of Hopkins, admitted to charges of grand larceny more than $5,000 and burglary third degree in connection to the Feb. 14, 2009, break-in.
The trio stole a camera, a laptop, walkie-talkies, a box of knives, a box of hats, flash drives, three cash boxes and an envelope of money.
Combs was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended on a $1,000 fine and three years of probation, 75 hours of community service and $2,570 restitution.
Codefendant David Holton was given a similar sentence this year while the third individual, Jerrid Green, is in the custody of Lexington County.
Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.