Florence County man, known as ‘DJ Kidd,’ pleads guilty to 13 sex charges against minors in sex-trafficking case

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florence County man, Jason Roger Pope, also known as “DJ Kidd” plead guilty to 13 sex charges all against minors.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson made the announcement Wednesday that Pope, 46, plead guilty to five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, five counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and three counts of criminal sexual conduct.

All of the charges were related to sex trafficking minors under the age of 18 from 2017 to 2019, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Judge Brian Gibbons sentenced Pope to 30 years, but it was suspended to 19 years in prison. After Pope gets out of prison, he will be sex offender probation for five years and will have special sex offender agents monitoring him.

He will face up to 10 more years in prison if he violates probation. He will also be on the Sex Offender Registry, and he has permanent restraining orders that prohibit him from having any contact with all the identified victims, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Deputy Attorney General Heather Weiss and Assistant Attorney General Megan Raymer prosecuted the case for the state. Agents with the State Law Enforcement Division’s Human Trafficking Unit, Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, and Florence County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.

“Several victims had statements presented to the court about how this defendant’s actions affected them,” the attorney general’s office said. “They are relieved this chapter is closed and Pope is in prison.”

Pope was indicted in January 2020 on 14 charges including criminal sexual conduct with a minor, promoting the prostitution of a minor, and multiple counts of human trafficking, kidnapping, and other offenses. He had been scheduled to go trial on April 17 but the judge granted a delay in the case.

Pope’s trail was just delayed July 17th when a judge granted a motion Monday morning to delay the sex-trafficking trial of Jason Pope. He had been scheduled to go on trial, but his attorney asked for a continuance based on a report from an independent expert that said he has been diagnosed with autism and is incompetent to stand trial. However, two reports by a psychiatrist expert hired by prosecutors determined that Pope is competent to stand trial.