Former South Carolina Head Start teacher arrested for child pornography for second time in seven months

A now-former South Carolina teacher has been arrested and charged with child pornography-related crimes for the second time in seven months. Holli Hodges, 56, now faces two counts of child sexual exploitation, one in the third degree and another in the first, alongside a host of other charges tied to her behavior during the first arrest.

Hodges was first apprehended in November by members of the Beaufort Police Department, who seized a number of electronic devices they believed could lead to additional charges. While the office did not explicitly state whether the most recent arrest was linked to the devices, it did note that the charge stemmed from "a 2023 case."

According to FITSNEWS, Hodges was taken into custody on May 31 by Beaufort County Sheriff's Office deputies and charged with first-degree child sexual exploitation, which is a felony. She stayed at the Beaufort County detention center for five hours before being released on bond.

While third-degree child sexual exploitation is applied when a suspect knowingly possesses material deemed to be pornographic, first-degree typically involves the creation and/or sale of the content.

If convicted, Hodges faces a mandatory minimum of three years, though she could be sent behind bars for up to twenty years. Sentences for such a crime are served consecutive to those from other charges, meaning it will tack at least three years on to any other punishments she receives.

Prior to her first arrest, Hodges served as a kindergarten assistant at Port Royal Elementary School before moving over to teach at Beaufort Elementary School's Beaufort-Jasper Head Start program.

While being apprehended, she allegedly assaulted BPD officers by "biting and kicking them." As a result, five counts of third-degree assault and battery, and one count of resisting arrest were filed in addition to the aforementioned child sexual exploitation charge.