Man accused of fondling woman in Hampton Park

The woman mouthed the words “Help me” to the Circle K clerk.

The employee responded by kicking a man out of the Charleston store and calling police early Sunday, ending an ordeal that began some four hours earlier, according to a police report.

Nathaniel Wilson, 47, of Meeting Street was arrested and charged Thursday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, spokesman Charles Francis said. Wilson is a registered sex offender.

Police said the incident began when a man approached the 28-year-old Mount Pleasant woman as she left a bar on King Street between 12:30 and 1 a.m. after a night out with friends.

The woman told police she was headed toward her car, which was parked on Cannon Street, when a man offered to walk with her and claimed he would keep her safe. The man’s behavior turned aggressive, the report states. He implied he had a weapon in his waistband and would use it if she didn’t do what he said.

They walked to Hampton Park, where he told the woman to empty everything she had in her purse, including her keys, cellphone and wallet. The man then forced the woman to unbutton her shorts and fondled her, Francis said.

The man and the woman walked to a bridge over the Septima P. Clark Parkway, where he made her fondle him, the report states.

The pair headed to the woman’s car, then walked to Circle K at 320 Meeting St., where she sought the clerk’s help, the report states. The man left the scene before officers arrived about 4:45 a.m. The woman had no visual injuries, but officers noticed that her shirt and shorts had scuff marks, the report states.

Wilson is being held at the Charleston County jail. The case is still under investigation.

Wilson was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1983 and a sex offender registry violation in 2007.