Former Florence 5 School Board Chairman Pleads Guilty

When the suspect gets out of prison, he will be registered as a sex offender and placed on a lifetime of GPS monitoring.

A former chairman of the Florence 5 school board pleaded guilty in a child sex abuse case.

Christopher Marsh pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. He was arrested in March of 2021 after an investigation revealed he sexually assaulted the victim in 2015 who was just five years old at the time and the abuse continued through February of 2021.

The day after his arrest, Marsh submitted his resignation as chairman.

The judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison but suspended the sentence to 11 years to be followed by five years of probation. When Marsh gets out of prison, he will be registered as a sex offender and placed on a lifetime of GPS monitoring. There is also a permanent restraining order against him.

Mary Marsh was also a teacher with the Florence 5 school district. She was arrested in connection to the incident as well and charged with two counts of unlawful neglect of a child because she allegedly was aware of the abuse but continued to allow the child to be exposed, her case is still pending.