Former Detective Allen Large indicted for criminal sexual conduct

Former Horry County Detective Allen Large was indicted by a Horry County grand jury late Thursday on five counts of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly coercing victims whose cases he was assigned to investigate to engage with him in sexual situations.

Large was also indicted on six counts of misconduct in office. Combined, the two charges and 11counts carry a maximum penalty of 110 years in jail, according to a statement issued by the S.C. Attorney’s General office.

The indictments are the results of a 10-month investigation conducted by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which also resulted in charges against three other former Horry County police officers in unrelated matters of misconduct of office.

Large is the target of four lawsuits filed against the Horry County Police Department by women identified as Jane Does alleging that he coerced them to participate in a genre of pornography called catfighting.

James B. Moore III of the Evans Moore Law Firm who represents the women, said he is satisfied with how SLED and the attorney’s general office handled the case and that Large was indicted “for his shameful actions.”

“Despite their previous experiences with the Horry County Police Department, our clients have full faith and trust in the civil justice system as well as the criminal justice system,” Moore said. “We hope that yesterday’s indictments send a clear message that this kind of behavior cannot, and will not, be tolerated.”

The indictments allege that Large knowingly used coercion to engage in sexual battery with multiple victims and knowingly engaged in inappropriate relationships with victims of cases he was investigating.

Chris Eldridge, Horry County Administrator, said that if the allegations are true, it represents behavior that is “grossly contrary” to county government standards. Eldridge also said that accountability measures have been reviewed and improvements made.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Former Detective Allen Large indicted for criminal sexual conduct."