Warrants: Officer arrested for child sex crimes was a church youth leader

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — Records show a Cornelius police officer arrested for child sex-related crimes was also a church youth leader.

According to his arrest warrant out of York County, the allegations against Erickson Douglas Lee were for incidents reported between December 2020 and January 2023.

The crimes all appear to have happened at Lee’s house on Caroland Drive in Fort Mill, the warrants show.

In one of the warrants, investigators said Lee is accused of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between December 2020 and June 2022. Deputies said Lee is accused of committing a sex act with a victim less than 16 years old, and said it allegedly happened 30 times in a 1.5-year period.

Investigators said around July 22, 2022, Lee, who was a 17-year-old victim’s youth leader, hurt him through “nonconsensual touching.” Authorities allege the victim was intoxicated when the incident happened, and charged Lee with first-degree assault and battery in connection to it.

Lee is also accused of playing a pornographic video that same day for a 17-year-old victim at Lee’s home, who investigators said he was a youth leader for. Warrants reveal the same thing happened to at least three more victims less than 18 years old at his home from August 2021 until this January. Investigators said he was their youth leader as well.

According to one of the warrants, in December 2021, Lee allegedly committed sexual battery with a victim who was 14 years old or older, but younger than 16.

During a period stretching from August 2021 until this January, investigators said Lee is accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor on four different counts by providing alcohol to a minor and encouraging them to drink it.

Channel 9 was able to obtain information showing Lee was a member of Young Special Forces, which is part of MorningStar Ministries. The Fort Mill church was established in 1995, according to its website.

MorningStar Fellowship Church confirmed Lee was a volunteer at the church, but said he was not a current attending member at the time of his arrest and hadn’t been associated with the church in several months. They also said it doesn’t appear any of the accusations happened on church property.

The church said they weren’t initially suspicious of Lee “because of his military background and law-enforcement career.” They said they contacted York County sheriff’s deputies as soon as they became aware of his possible criminal misconduct and said they are cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.

The church’s full statement is below:

“MorningStar Ministries has become aware that a former youth volunteer has been arrested with allegations of criminal sexual misconduct.

“It does not appear that this individual was a current attending member of MorningStar Fellowship Church. It also does not appear that accusations and violations took place on Church property.

“Because of his military background and law-enforcement career, there was no initial cause for suspicion.

“Upon being notified of possible criminal misconduct, MorningStar immediately contacted the York County Sheriff Department, who in turn responded quickly to begin the investigation of the matter.

“MorningStar is cooperating fully with law-enforcement. The former youth volunteer has not been associated with MorningStar for several months.

“Because of the nature of the ongoing investigation, and the nature of the crimes involving minors, and for the protection of the minors, we cannot comment further.”

Lee had been working as a patrol officer with the Cornelius Police Department since June 2021, according to the Cornelius police chief.

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