June 29, 2015: At Port Royal, South Carolina, a 4 year old girl tells her mother Joel Iacopelli removed her underwear and “licked her” at Sunday school the previous day.
This is not an allegation of rape, but is included here because it is so remarkable. Of course, had he been convicted, the consequences for the accused would have been devastating. The girl told her father the same thing, but also said she was making it up.
The same day, the mother took her daughter to see a paediatrician, who said the matter would have to be reported. Iacopelli was arrested July 10, 2015, and the police searched his home seizing computer equipment – the same way their brethren in the UK do. He was released on bond July 24.
His wife was also subjected to the sort of harassment we have come to expect in such cases.
Fortunately for him, there was not only CCTV evidence but plenty of witnesses, although the police and so-called child protection services continued to give him Hell after the case was dismissed.
Here is a short clip of the man himself and his attorney. It was uploaded to YouTube on November 2, 2015. When I found it on June 8, 2018 it had been viewed only 98 times.
One could only speculate as to why such a young child would make up such a story, one doubts there was any actual malice involved, but how would you like something like this to happen to you?
In March 2020, it was reported that Joel Iacopelli had been awarded half a million dollars in damages.
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