Man arrested for human trafficking coached youth sports for Beaufort County (2024)

BEAUFORT— A Beaufort County man arrested on multiple charges related to the human trafficking of a minor was a youth sports coach for two seasons as part of a county Parks and Recreation program.

Guy Frank Talley III, 27, coached during the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023, confirmed county spokesperson Hannah Nichols in an email to The Post and Courier.

Nichols declined to specify the sport Talley coached or the age of the participants, citing concerns over potentially identifying minors.

Talley was arrested June 11and charged with trafficking a person under 18 years old, sexual exploitation of a minor second degree and sexual exploitation of a minor third degree.

A State Law Enforcement Division criminal background check shows Talley's arrest record stretches back to December 2013.

It's unclear if background checks were required by county policy at the time Talley served as a volunteer coach, though Nichols said it was a practice if not a policy.

"A background check was performed, but a breakdown in communication resulted in his volunteer status," Nichols wrote."Although the individual was not actively volunteering at the time of their arrest, county staff has taken the appropriate steps to ensure all current volunteers meet the county’s requirements."

Eric Brown, the county's new director of Parks and Recreation, began a review of all of the department's programming, procedures and policies, including volunteer screening and identification, after he started with the county earlier this year.

Brown replaced Shannon Loper, who was fired in 2023. Loper is set to appear before the state Ethics Commission in October over allegations she used her official position to gain economic interest for family members when she authorized payments to her four sons.

"Every volunteer is required to complete a comprehensive background check, and any offenses will be reviewed by a Review Committee to determine if the individualis disqualified from volunteering," Nichols told The Post and Courier.

A copy of the backgroundcheck policy provided by the county was signed July 17 by new County Administrator Michael Moore. Moore started in his position July 1, nearly a year after the former administrator, Eric Greenway, was fired for improprieties related to the execution of contracts.

The new policy states that participation as a volunteer can be denied for a variety of misdemeanor and felony offenses.Volunteers passing the background check are issued a photo identification badge and are required to wear the badge while volunteering.

Beaufort County Detention Center records indicate Talley's home address is in Okatie, while SLED records show him with a Beaufort address.

The charges resulting from Talley's arrest in June are alleged to have a occurred from Feb. 13 to March 5, after he volunteered with the county.

SLED arrest warrants allege Talley, knowing the victim was a minor, continued to subject the juvenile to a human sex trafficking scheme. SLED further alleges Talley maintained and distributed a sexually explicit image of the minor victim.

Talley's arrest record prior to June 2024 indicates a variety of offenses including drug charges, safecracking, burglary, resisting arrest and failure to comply.

Arrested along with Talley were Alban Bryan, 63, of St. Helena Island and William James Youmans, 34, of Beaufort, who were each charged with trafficking a victim under 18 years old and influencing, causing or encouraging a minor to cross the line, a charge known as contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

A 29-year-old Port Royal resident,Jaquan Duvall Barnes, was arrested by Hardeeville police following a traffic stop on March 5. A juvenile female who had been reported missing by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office was with Barnes when he was arrested.

Barnes was charged and detained in the Jasper County Detention Center, though he escaped from that facility in early June. He was recaptured in Jacksonville about a month later. Upon his return to South Carolina, SLED charged Barnes in Beaufort County with human trafficking of a minor, two counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and unlawful escape.

A SLED spokesperson declined to say whether Barnes' case was related to the multi-agency investigation that netted Talley, Brayan and Youmans.

Barnes, Bryan, Talley and Youmans all remain confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

The National Human Trafficking hotline is 888-373-7888.