HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – A group of state senators is racing against the clock to get a piece of legislation passed that could help catch child predators.
Senator Greg Hembree, representing Horry County, is among a group of sponsors hoping to pass an administrative subpoena bill, which would make it easier for prosecutors to get information about potential online child predators.
“If you’re interested in government efficiency, you should be in favor of this bill,” said Hembree. “I think both bodies are determined to get this done, both House and Senate. When you get your heart in the right place, we at least have a chance of getting it across the line.”
Hembree said right now, local agencies have to go through federal courts to access criminals’ online information.
“It could take anywhere from days to weeks,” said Leigh Waller, leader of the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office’s Criminal Sexual Conduct Prosecution Team.
The bill would allow state judges to sign off on subpoenas necessary to access that information, something Waller said would cause her team fewer headaches.
“If we have a state court judge here in the building, which we often do, it could be a matter of us just going upstairs to their office and getting something signed, rather than going to Florence and waiting for a federal judge, and going through a federal scheduling process,” said Waller.
Waller said in recent years, her office has seen an uptick in sex crimes beginning with online contact, and an uptick in predators communicating with minors in other states.
She added that her office is supportive of anything that makes combating these crimes a little easier.
“Anything that we can get that makes it easier for us to locate and gather evidence against these people and stop these crimes from occurring is certainly going to be beneficial to everybody–to society, to us, everybody,” said Waller.
The bill’s other sponsors hope to get it passed by the end of the legislative session, which is the end of next week.
Hembree said he believes there is a good chance that both the House and Senate can agree on a final draft.
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