North Carolina
Pair charged at NC coast after little girl’s face held under water beneath Sunset Beach pier, police say
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A woman and a man are facing child abuse charges after a Friday afternoon report that a little girl was held upside down with her face under the surf beneath a Sunset Beach pier along the North Carolina coast, police said.
The incident was reported just after 6:30 p.m. Friday along the beach under the Sunset Beach Pier, according to a Saturday evening news release from the Sunset Beach Police Department.
Police on the Brunswick County island, located at the South Carolina line, said there were “social media posts and videos” of the incident.
“The safety and well-being of every child in our community remains our highest priority,” police said.
Police said they were asking for witnesses in the case or anyone who has additional information.
“The charges stem from a 911 call reporting that a male was intentionally holding a child upside down by her legs, with her face submerged in the water against her will while she was screaming and crying,” the news release said.
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Christopher Maurice Lee, 38, of Arcadia at Grande Dunes near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Lesley Suzanne McClam, 26, of nearby Calabash, each charged with a count of misdemeanor child abuse, according to arrest warrants and the news release.
Police and a warrant said Lee was the “primary suspect” and that he is dating the girl’s mother.
The arrest warrant for Lee said he was “repeatedly placing (the) child’s head under water/attempting to while (the) child screamed and stated ‘stop.’ Did so again once child was out of water.”
Police said the charge is “the most serious level of misdemeanor offenses.”
Lee was released on a $1,000 secured bond.
The North Carolina Department of Social Services has been notified and is conducting an investigation in coordination with the Sunset Beach Police Department, officers said.
Police added that anyone with information should contact Sunset Beach Police Detective Sergeant Miloszar at (910) 880-8512.