After entering a guilty plea to two counts, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child, last December, 17-year-old Tyler Buck, of Eureka, appeared before Greenwood County District Court by Chief Judge David Ricke last Wednesday, Jan. 31, for sentencing.
Buck was arrested on Aug. 12, 2023 and charged on seven counts including: Rape, Aggravated Criminal Sodomy x2 and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child x4. The complaint noted that Buck knowingly engaged in sexual intercourse with one of the two children, both of which were noted as a child under 14 years of age. The complaint also noted that Buck engaged in sodomy and lewd fondling with both adolescents. The inappropriate activity was noted to begin in October 2022 and continued through August 2023. In December, Buck, represented by his attorney Stephany Hughes, entered a plea agreement with the state, where he plead guilty to Count 3 Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Count 6 Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child. Both charges are Level III Severity and with Buck having no criminal history placed him in Category I, which listed a sentence ranging from 55-61 months, per count. Both the state and defense counsel asked the court to sentence Buck to the mitigated sentence of 59 months, with the sentences running concurrent or at the same time.
