Fort Mill man pleads guilty to child sex crime

A Fort Mill man pleaded guilty Friday to sending nude photos of a young girl to a woman he met on the Internet, according to the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Michael Aaron McKinney, 33, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The first two charges were dismissed in exchange for his plea, according to Assistant Solicitor Sharon Kopp.

Circuit Court Judge Dan Hall sentenced McKinney to 11 years in prison, Kopp said. He must also register as a sex offender and will have GPS monitoring for life.

Fort Mill Police began investigating in June after receiving a call from child protective services in Maine, according to Kopp. A police interview with McKinney revealed he met a woman from Maine online after he became “unhappy” in his marriage.

At some point, Kopp said, the woman sent him nude photos of an 11-year-old girl and McKinney “reciprocated” by sending nude photos of a 10-year-old child and admitted to performing sex acts on the girl. The woman reportedly became angry when McKinney told her he wouldn’t leave his wife for her. She said she would have him arrested.

McKinney denied having intercourse with the girl, Kopp said. The 10-year-old victim told police McKinney touched her multiple times, all of which happened at his home in York County.

Kopp said “it took a long time,” but the woman in Maine was also arrested and charged in connection with the case.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Fort Mill man pleads guilty to child sex crime."