Irmo Town Councilman Gabriel Penfield was named as a suspect in a criminal sexual conduct incident report obtained from the Irmo Police Department. The report was filed with the Irmo Police Department in December of 2020 and was obtained by the newspaper through a FOIA request. At the time, Penfield was not serving with the Town of Irmo in any official capacity. Penfield was elected to Irmo Town Council on February 27, 2024, filling the seat that was vacated when Bill Danielson was elected Mayor.
The officer responding to the incident forwarded the case to the Irmo Police criminal investigations division for further review. A subsequent FOIA request was submitted to Irmo Police to obtain all files and information related to the criminal investigations division’s review of the incident. On September 26, 2025, a letter issued by the Irmo Police Department denied the newspaper’s FOIA request and advised the “information you requested is part of an active South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation case.” The newspaper has learned the case was subsequently referred by SLED.
When asked for comment Penfield stated his innocence and that he has documents to prove he’s been cleared. “I was told today that once SLED sees that DSS has already passed on this file they are going to also pass on it and close it,” said Penfield.
The Town of Irmo released a statement on Tuesday, October 14 confirming the investigation:
“The Town of Irmo confirms that an investigation is underway involving Irmo Town Councilman Gabriel Penfield. Further, the Town confirms that they have formally requested that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) conduct an independent investigation into this matter as it relates to an elected official.
The Town of Irmo remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the trust of our residents as this process moves forward.
As this is an active investigation, the Town will not be providing further comment at this time.”
Erik Sickinger, 42, was arrested for sexual conduct with a minor in March of this year while in office and serving as councilman and Mayor Pro Tem. He had three different counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a minor younger than 16, second degree; and three counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He was arrested by Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and South Carolina Law Enforcement on March 4, 2025.
See the link below for the FOIA results.
https://thenewirmonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IncidentFOIA.pdf
