SENECA — Oconee County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 38-year-old Seneca man Thursday for allegedly inappropriately touching his a young female.

Ronnie Morris Young was booked at Oconee Detention Center for committing a lewd act on a child under the age of 16 after county investigators conducted a month-long investigation. On May 29, the victim’s mother saw Young walking out of her child’s room. When asked what he was doing, Young said he was just lying down with her. The mother said she suspected Young was very drunk because he could barely walk.

The next day, the victim told her mother that Young had touched her inappropriately but had not otherwise hurt her. Her mother took her to Oconee Medical Center for an exam and contacted the Sheriff’s Office immediately to report the incident.

Young, who had been subsequently told he could no longer live at the residence by the victim’s mother, was staying at his mother’s while the investigation was taking place.

He was arrested, transported to jail and released on $25,000 surety bond.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Late Wednesday night deputies also made an arrest after a domestic dispute was reported in the Townville area.

When deputies arrived at roughly 11 p.m. at a Coneross Park Road campsite, they were met by 18-year-old Claudia Christina Gambrell.

Gambrell told them she was “probably going to jail,” admitting she had struck her 47-year-old husband in the face while they were camping with family.

Gambrell said she struck her husband because he accused her of cheating on him. Although she originally said he never touched her, she added in a later statement that he had wrapped his arm around her to stop her from leaving and hit her with her purse during the incident. No visible marks were seen on her, while the left side of the victim’s face was swollen, according to the incident report.

Gambrell was transported to Oconee Detention Center, where she was charged with criminal domestic violence and released on a $5,424 personal recognizance bond.