A statement was issued by a member of the Anderson County Board of Education following allegations of criminal sexual conduct involving a child.
According to the official website, Gary Burgess holds the position of vice chairman on the Anderson County Board of Education.
Burgess was taken into custody on Wednesday and faces two charges related to second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor aged 11 to 14, as reported by the Spartanburg County Detention Center website.
The arrest warrants indicate that the event reportedly took place in a vehicle on Weaver Line Road in Inman, South Carolina, during the period from May to July 1976.
On November 27, he was taken into custody and subsequently released on the same day, as reported by the detention center’s website.
The identity of the individual making allegations against Burgess has not been disclosed by WYFF 4.
Burgess issued the subsequent statement:
“I learned Tuesday evening that a false criminal allegation had been leveled against me by [the accuser]. Upon learning this, I personally drove to Spartanburg around 6:30 am [Wednesday] to surrender to the county sheriff’s office. [The accuser] alleges that I sexually assaulted him in 1976, 47 years ago. This allegation is not true and I will fight it in the court of law.
“My family, friends, and fellow parishioners who know [the accuser’s] history understand what is going on. [The accuser] is a distant family member whom I have had no social interaction with. In fact, in 1976, I was finishing my first year in college and he was 11 years old if indeed the date of his birth is what I have been told. With that said I will have my day in court.”
Burgess campaigned for the role of South Carolina’s education chief in 2022 and previously served as the superintendent for Anderson County School District 4.
