• E-Mail
• Print
• Larger
• Smaller

Published: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 / Updated: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 11:33 AM

Clover man gets 8 years in prison after plea to sex crimes

YORK -- 

A Clover man on Tuesday recited Bible passages and blamed the devil for the crimes he committed before a judge sentenced him to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually molesting three girls, one of whom he victimized twice more than 20 years ago.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles ruled that Herman Lee Archie’s sentence will run concurrently for two counts of lewd acts upon a child and one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. He’ll receive credit for the 156 days he’s already served in jail.

Archie, 47, has been held at the York County Detention Center without bond since July, when he was accused of inappropriately touching a 3-year-old girl. The girl had been sleeping in her room when Archie crept in and began fondling her, said Jenny Desch, assistant 16th Circuit Court solicitor.

Archie’s son walked in on his father, who claimed “the devil made me do it” and then fled the home, leading deputies on a chase through the woods before they caught him, Desch said.

At the time, Archie was scheduled to go to trial two weeks later to answer for three other similar incidents. In 1987, Archie’s sister-in-law, then 10, said she had been sleeping at her parent’s home when she felt someone touching her. She woke up and found “Herman crouched on the floor,” Desch said.

Read more of this story here.