At a hearing on Tuesday, the estranged wife of the former Bamberg county councilor Kerry “Trent” Kinard he held back his tears as he pleaded with the judge not to let him out of prison.
“We live in fear that when Kerry Kinard is out of prison,” said Bridget Kinard, adding that her ex-husband “can be very violent and very dangerous.” She said that he is a “bad” man with “bad intentions”.
Circuit Judge Clifton Newman heard his concerns – and others – at the virtual hearing on Tuesday and revoked Kinard’s bond, ordering him to remain behind bars until trial.
Kinard is facing 10 counts of child sex crimes in Bamberg and Jasper counties, as well as two federal gun possession charges.
Kinard is currently in federal custody after being arrested in December for allegedly lying when trying to buy a 9 mm pistol in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I can safely say that the attempt to buy a gun was made with bad intent and not for any other reason that he indicated for the purchase,” said Bridget Kinard. “He was buying a gun for a purpose. I am confident that if he is released, there is a high possibility that the court will have to explain the reason for his release when he does something stupid. “
Attorney David Miller said on Tuesday that the court was clear about the conditions of Kinard’s title and that he “didn’t care that he was breaking the law” and that he deliberately ignored the judges’ orders.
Miller said that after Kinard posted bail in October, his GPS tracking device showed that he was not staying at his brother’s home most of the time, as ordered by the court.
Kinard’s lawyer Bakari sellers said Kinard was staying at a family hotel while on bail.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Newman gave Kinard a quick trial at Sellers’ request, but he was unable to set a tracking date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sellers asked for the trial to be set in April.
“Sir. Kinard apparently does not believe that the court has authority over him or that he is required to comply with the court order,” said Newman. “I think he is a danger to the community based on his conduct.”
*****
*****
Kinard’s federal court date for gun charges was set for April 7. He will remain in federal custody until determined by the court, Newman said.
Kinard Charges
On September 25, 2020, Kinard was charged with first-degree assault and beatings, first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor, criminal solicitation of a minor (two charges) and dissemination of obscene material ( two counts).
A judge initially denied Kinard’s bail and said he posed an “irrational danger to the community”.
In late October, a judge defined KinardThe $ 75,000 bail on the condition that he be banned from Bamberg County for 90 days, wear an ankle monitor and have no contact with his alleged victims.
On October 27, a family court judge “filed a protection order preventing Kinard from threatening or using physical force against the petitioner,” after the judge found that Kinard “used or threatened to use physical force that could cause bodily harm. ”.
“At the end of the day, that protection order doesn’t give me 100% comfort when he doesn’t follow the judge’s orders,” said Bridget Kinard.
*****
*****
Kinard bailed out and was released from prison on 28 October.
In November, he was indicted on all charges, except for first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. In addition, he was indicted on a charge of lewd act with a child.
Probable cause statements accompanying the warrants against Kinard detail child sexual crimes since 2008 – as well as crimes that allegedly occurred in September.
In the statement, the police accused Kinard of:
- display and present pornography to a young male between 2008-2019, several times a year
- talking to a young male for sexual purposes between 2017-2018
- showing and presenting pornography to a young woman while at her residence in September 2020
- attempted vaginal intercourse with a girl who was between 14 and 16 years old between the years 2016 and 2017
- talking to a young woman for the purpose of sex in September 2020
- touching the private parts of a young woman in September 2020
All of the above crimes allegedly occurred in Bamberg County.
In December, he was charged with three additional crimes in Jasper County. He is accused of having sex with a child under the age of 14 in 1998, exhibiting child pornography in 1995 and “repeatedly grabbing, groping and stroking” a child under the age of 16 in 1993, according to arrest warrants.
Who is Trent Kinard
Kinard is a former police officer from the SC Highway Patrol (SCHP) who was first elected in 2012.
After his accusation, the governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster suspended Kinard from his duties as a county councilor.
He lost his run for re-election in the 2020 Democratic primaries to challenger Phil Myers, however, and is no longer an alderman.
According to a prize nomination, Kinard was very active in the Bamberg community. He was the president of the PTO of an elementary school, football coach and youth basketball and worked at the University of South Carolina as director of sports information.
“I am so tired of hearing about all the titles he has held,” said Bridget Kinard, who is a former member of the Bamberg city council. “If someone spoke to the people he worked with and the audience he was around to see his lack of success in those titles … he has used his titles to scare his victims. We all know that a title doesn’t necessarily make you a good person. “
*****
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Mandy Matney is the news director at FITSNews. She is an award-winning Kansas journalist who worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois and South Carolina before moving to FITS. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island, where she enjoys life on the beach. Do you want to contact Mandy? Send your ideas, comments, suggestions and tips for stories to [email protected].
*****
WANT TO TURN OFF THE SOUND?
Is there anything you would like to say in response to one of our stories? We have an open mic policy! Send your own letter to the editor (or guest column) by email HERE. Do you have a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Have a technical question or failure to report? CLICK HERE.