Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott tells ABC-affiliate WSOC, 40-year-old Jamel Bradley is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and the investigation into his conduct.
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Authorities continue to investigate his conduct with other students at Spring Valley High School in Columbia.
At one point, Bradley was a star basketball player at the University of South Carolina and was later assigned to the school since 2009 but was removed in 2018 when he was sued in federal court over a relationship with a different student.
The initial sex act with the 17-year-old that led to Bradley's arrest took place last year and did not happen at the Spring Valley High School campus, the sheriff said.
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"I'd like to kill you, but I can't do that. I really would. It just disgusts me," Lott said of his former deputy.
Lott said investigators are looking into Bradley's interactions with students and others going back to his hiring on the job in 2007. Bradley was fired in October after lying and tampering with an internal investigation into his behavior.
"It's still a very active investigation. But we felt like he needed to be arrested, and he needed to be arrested today," Lott said.