South Carolina parole officer sentenced for sexual assaults

A South Carolina parole officer has been sentenced to 74 days in jail for sexually assaulting five women. George Willie Yeldell III, 34, pleaded guilty on March 19. He was sentenced by Judge Walton McLeod IV. Yeldell will serve one year in prison, but he will only spend 75 days behind bars due to a suspended sentence. He has already received credit for one day served. After his release, he will be on probation and required to attend sex offender counseling. Yeldell was arrested on May 5, 2020, and charged with misconduct in office, which is a misdemeanor. The women have claimed he assaulted them multiple times between 2017 and 2019. They also filed a civil suit against the South Carolina Department of Parole, Probation and Pardon Services. Last March, the state agreed to pay the women $355,000 to settle the case.