Seven Oconeeans arrested in child sex case

A cyber tip led authorities this week to addresses across Oconee County and the arrests of seven men who the sheriff’s office says are accused in a case involving materials of child sex abuse.  The tip was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Task Force.  According to the sheriff’s office, “At this time, Investigators do not have any evidence that any of the Child Sex Abuse Material was manufactured inside Oconee County.  The evidence seized indicated that the material was possessed by all seven suspects, and in some instances, was then distributed over the internet.”  Sexual exploitation charges have been placed against the following men:  Ernest Joseph McDonald, 23, New Madison Road, Westminster; Thomas Gerald Allred, 45, Easter Lane, Seneca; Terry Randall Belk Jr., 23, Oak Tree Drive, Seneca; Jon Joseph Carranza, 26, Ralph Sheriff Road, Seneca; Richard David Raffl, 74, Lake Ridge Circle, Walhalla; William Douglas Minner, 59, Cheohee Valley Road, Tamassee; and Robert Mann Hagan, 74, Violet Fields Lane, Seneca.  According to the case investigator, the ages of the victims ranged from 3 to 16, and primarily contained images of girls.  In one investigation, the images were that of a boy.