Hartsville police arrest man in Internet predator sting

Andrew Martin Keery

By From local reports
Published: May 29, 2009

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A Mount Pleasant man has been arrested in an undercover Internet sting conducted by the Hartsville Police Department, according to a press release from Attorney General Henry McMaster.

Andrew Martin Keery, 23, of 633 Palmetto St., was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison for each count if convicted. He remained in custody at the Darlington County Detention Center pending a 3:30 p.m. Friday bond hearing.

According to arrest warrants, Keery solicited sex on the Internet from a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl beginning April 27. In reality, he was communicating with an undercover Hartsville police officer.

Mount Pleasant police later executed a search warrant on Keery’s residence, resulted in the seizure of a laptop computer and a PlayStation 3 console, according to the release.

Both the Hartsville and Mount Pleasant police departments are members of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Keery’s arrest is the 158th by the task force, and this case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.