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A former DUI prosecutor with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful conduct toward a child on Thursday in a Moncks Corner courtroom.
Michael Justin Mims, 41, received a 10-year sentence, which was suspended to two years with an additional three years of probation. He faced 30 years in prison.
Previous Coverage: Arrest warrants charge former BCSO DUI prosecutor with assaulting juveniles
Mims was arrested in October 2021 by Hanahan police on warrants for attempted murder and five counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.
According to arrest warrants, Mims was accused of physically assaulting several juvenile family members between the years of 2018 and 2020. In one incident from 2018. prosecutors say video surveillance obtained from the family home showed Mims “violently placing his hands around [one child’s] neck to the point where the 3-year-old girl was crying and coughing afterward.
According to the prosecution, Mims was initially charged with attempted murder for the offense. However, the prosecution decided not to go forward with the charge due to South Carolina’s statute that would require the State to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mims intended to kill the child.
Prosecutors say that while Mims’ actions could have easily resulted in the child’s death, his actual intent would be harder to prove.
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Other incidents captured on video include Mims repeatedly slapping an infant in the face and him kicking another young child, according to court documents.
Following his arrest in 2021, Mims’ employment with the sheriff’s office was terminated.
The former prosecutor served 450 days of house arrest and 14 days in jail prior to Thursday’s sentencing.