Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Lewd Act with Minor

Kenneth Gahagan, 24, was convicted Friday of committing a Lewd Act Upon a Minor, according to Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson's office.  

Judge Stephanie McDonald sentenced the man to 12 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after serving one-third of his sentence. 

Gahagan was accused of inappropriately touching his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter in 2010 in Charleston County. After two days of testimony, the jury deliberated for about five hours before returning the guilty verdict.  

In April 2010, the young girl disclosed the sexual abuse to her father, who contacted the police. The child, now 5 years old, testified to the sexual abuse in the courtroom.

"The little girl was very brave to tell her father, and she did an excellent job on the witness stand. It was obvious this little girl was telling the truth, and I am very pleased that the jury could see that," Wilson said in a statement. "I know these facts were difficult for the jury to hear but I am glad they were able to get through it and give the defendant a verdict he deserved."

Gahagan has a previous conviction from 2009 for Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child from an incident in Dorchester County. In that incident, another 3-year-old child had vaginal injuries.

"We will now submit our entire file, as well as information from Dorchester County, in an effort to have Mr. Gahagan deemed a Sexually Violent Predator in hopes that he will be civilly committed until it is determined that he may be safely maintained in the community," Wilson said.