An Anderson man pled guilty this week rather than face an upcoming trial for raping his wife’s juvenile daughter, announced Solicitor Micah E. Black
Austin J. Cole, 35, pled guilty on January 8, 2026, to Second Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor. Circuit Court Judge R. Scott Sprouse sentenced Cole to twenty (20) years in prison, which is the maximum sentence allowed under South Carolina law. Cole will not be parole eligible and will be considered a violent offender while in the Department of Corrections. Cole is also now a registered sex offender.
In late 2023, Cole’s estranged wife moved her two children, one of which was the victim in this case, into Cole’s home in Anderson County. While the children were living with him, Cole engaged in sexual intercourse with the eleven (11) year old female victim on numerous occasions. Law enforcement became aware of the sexual assaults when the victim and her sibling were found in the early morning hours of February 23, 2024, walking along Highway 28. The juveniles told officers they were trying to walk to their mother’s house in Georgia to escape Cole’s sexual abuse. A sexual assault examination was performed on the female victim, which located sperm that DNA testing proved belonged to Cole. Officers also discovered a photograph on Cole’s phone of him engaging in sex acts with the victim.
Deputy Solicitor Josh Thomas prosecuted the case for the State, with assistance from Senior Assistant Solicitor Patti Ferguson and Investigator Michael Cox. Solicitor Black praised the work of his team in securing this conviction. He also praised Investigator Keonna Brooks of the Anderson Police Department for her diligent work building the case against Cole.
“Austin Cole was entrusted with the safety of the victim in this case, and he betrayed that trust in the worst way possible,” said Solicitor Black after the sentencing. “No punishment the law provides can ever be adequate for what this offender did, but I take solace in the fact he received the maximum sentence the law allows and will serve the next two decades in prison.”