Berkeley County man gets maximum sentence for sexually assaulting minor

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A Berkeley County man has been given the maximum sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Terry Kostelak, 29, of Goose Creek pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree.

According to Solicitor David Pascoe, Judge Heath Taylor sentenced Kostelak to 20 years for the sexual charge and a concurrent sentence of 10 years for the exploitation of a minor charge.

Officials say when Kostelak was 25, he sought out a 13-year-old child on social media and began a sexual relationship with the child. Kostelak snuck into the minor’s home on multiple occasions over an 18-month period and sexually assaulted them.

Throughout their investigation, law enforcement was able to obtain numerous video and audio files showing Kostelak performing sexual acts with the minor child. Officials say Kostelak was reported after the child’s mother discovered messages that had been sent between Kostelak and the minor.

“In our courts, we are constantly reminded of how unsafe our children are online. We encourage parents to proactively monitor their children`s cellular phones as well as their social media presence,” said First Assistant Solicitor Kelly LaPlante. “Predators are looking for unsupervised minors, and we must do what we can to ensure children in our communities are safe in their homes again.”