Update: Thursday, June 24, 9:40 p.m.:
The former director of the Miss South Carolina pageant was sentenced to 14 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of lewd act on a minor. The jury took three and a half hours to find Joey Sanders IV guilty of that charge, and they found him not guilty of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Anita Gearhart was found guilty of unlawful conduct against a child. Investigators say she knew what happened and didn't report it.
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The trial continues Thursday for a former executive director of the Miss South Carolina organization, Joseph “Joey” Pettigrew Sanders IV, who is accused of sexually assaulting a girl younger than 11 years old.
Investigators say Sanders innapropriately touched the girl when she was 9-years-old and had sex with her in 2008 when she was 12.
Thursday Sanders took the stand in his own defense. Sanders testified he could not have sex at all because he has suffered from complete erectile dysfunction since 2001.
However, the state called his ex-wife to the stand who was involved with Sanders from 2002 until 2005. She says that she and Sanders had sex once or twice a week.
Wednesday the defense called a doctor that testified that he gave Sanders testosterone supplements in 2007 after Sanders complained of erectile disfunction. The doctor did admit under cross examination that there was no ay to diagnose the severity of the disfunction or if Sanders was still having problems when the alleged rape occured.
An investigator and a pediatric sexual abuse doctor testified also testified for the state. The doctor testified that she had concerns, but there was no conclusive evidence of sexual abuse.
Anita Jordan Gearhart is also on trial. Investigators say she knew about the assault and didn't report it.
Yesterday the victim, now 14 testified that she did recant her statement at one point because she did ot want her mom to go to jail.
That woman testified the girl told her the abuse didn't happen and she made it up so she could move to Virginia with other family members.
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