PRESS RELEASE. A Bluffton man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting a toddler and live streaming videos of some of the acts.
David James Allison, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four charges of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor in July 2021, days before he was to stand trial in Beaufort County General Sessions Court. Allison also pleaded guilty to federal charges in the case, in which his sexual acts with the victim were video-streamed over the internet. Allison was sentenced by both state and federal courts.
“These were unspeakably depraved acts against a victim that epitomizes vulnerability,” said Fourteenth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Julie Kate Keeney, who prosecuted the state charges. Colleton County is a part of the 14th Circuit, which includes Beaufort, Hampton, Jasper, Colleton and Allendale counties.
Allison received a 30-year sentence for the state criminal sexual conduct charge and 20 years on each of the sexual exploitation of a minor charges from Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen. A federal judge sentenced him to 30 years.
The sentences are to be served concurrently, and Allison will be assigned to a federal prison.
In January 2020, a relative who shared an LG tablet with Allison discovered messages between Allison and a Skype user in another country, describing sexual acts the defendant performed on the victim. The relative confronted Allison, then reported what she found to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Investigator Seth Reynells with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Records revealed ongoing conversations between Allison and a third party about acts he had or could perform on the child. In an interview with investigators, Allison initially denied the allegations but eventually admitted to touching the victim sexually at least five times in the preceding months.
