Four men who raped girls aged 14 and 15 get away with 'scolding' and no jail time
On Thursday, four men who were accused of raping two teenagers left the courtroom scot-free, with one laughing and smiling, after pleding guilty to a far lesser charge of assault and battery. Bryce Charleson, Cody Haux, Jamel Quick, and Edward House, all from Laurinburg, were offered plea deals after originally being charged with sexual assault. The two females were 14 and 15 when they were assaulted at the Sea Gypsy Inn on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach in 2015.
In a deplorable turn of events, the defendants were sentenced to five years probation under the youthful offenders' act or YOA and are currently not allowed to have contact with the victims after pleading guilty to a far lesser charge of assault and battery, owing to the said deals.
During the arraignment, Judge George McFaddin, presiding, explained to the young men why they were being granted mercy using some harsh words.
"Mercy is when you don't get the punishment you deserve," the judge said, calling the YOA sentence a second chance.
"Your conduct on that day was reprehensible and disgusting. Indeed, depraved," he added.
The judge then asked if the crime had been committed against one of their sisters or mothers, how they would sentence the offenders. The men didn't have an answer.