Aiken, SC (1 August 2019, 9:30 am) – On July 30, 2019, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into a possible pornography case. After receiving information from Aiken Department of Public Safety who were notified that Fr Raymond Flores, of Saint Mary’s Help of Christians, was having an online conversation with a juvenile on an adult social media application. Both individuals had exchanged photos of their genitals during their conversations. Investigators discovered that the juvenile, indicated that he was of age (18 yo) on “Grindr” where he and Flores began their dialog and exchanged photos. Flores, the juvenile, his family and the Diocese fully cooperated with investigators. This investigation revealed that there were no articulable or attainable evidence that would have risen beyond the initial complaint to the establishment of probable cause for criminal charges. Investigators presented their findings to the 2nd Circuit Solicitor’s Office as well as the SC Attorney General’s Office. The family of the victim did concur with the findings and expressed that they did not want to pursue any further investigation by ACSO investigators; as they had also previously stated to Aiken Department of Public Safety detectives.
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