South Carolina rape case underscores high incidence of sexual violence in the State

One of many roadside churches just south of Allendale, SC

Roadside churches are about as common as legal loan sharking businesses in South Carolina. Combine that with America's highest violent crime rate, the 15th highest number of forcible rapes among all 50 states, the fact that 50.2% of all South Carolina rape victims are acquaintances of the offender and you can easily understand the story that hit today's national headlines. (Sources of sexual assault Data: US Census, State of South Carolina).

It seems like the conservative culture of family values doesn't work in Jim Demint's South Carolina.

South Carolina pastor Dale Richardson accused of raping women behind church

LADSON, S.C. - South Carolina pastor Dale Richardson has been charged with kidnapping and raping several women at gunpoint, including two of them in a trailer behind his church. He is also accused of kidnapping a fourth who was not sexually assaulted.

According to an incident report, on a Saturday afternoon in July, the preacher picked up a woman and gave her a ride. When the 20-year-old tried to exit out of the car, Richardson allegedly pulled a gun, bound her hands, covered her head and took her to the gray-blue trailer home behind the Free Will Baptist Church in Ladson.

The report also said he later dropped the woman in a wooded area and threatened to shoot her if she turned around. The woman was able to identify Richardson from his picture on the church website, which also displays a short biography detailing how he became a Christian and then a pastor.

Read the full CBS-AP report

South Carolina Sexual Assault Statistics 
The newest statistics from SLED’s website states that in 2009, South Carolina had a total of
1,649 rape offenses reported:

• The rape rate in South Carolina has been higher than the national rape rate since1982.
• In South Carolina, the rape rate has increased 37.6 percent from 1975 to 2009
• A decline of 2.9 percent of rapes took place from 2008 to 2009.
• 50.2 percent of offender relationships to victims of rapes were acquaintances.
• 22.6 percent of rape victims fell into the age range of 18-24.
• Saluda County, SC ranks number one in the state for number of rapes per 10,000 people residing in the county (15 offenses = 7.9 rapes per 10,000 people).

http://www.sled.sc.gov/documents/CrimeReporting/SCCrimeBooks/2008/2008%20Crime%20in%20South%20Carolina.pdf as of March 2011