Mount Pleasant Musician Arrested on Child Sex Charges

A Mount Pleasant musician with national acclaim faces criminal sexual misconduct charges for alleged sexual contact with a young girl over a two-year period, according to town police.

John Brannen, 61, who has composed music for The Eagles and had his work appear in major motion pictures, is accused of fondling and having sex with the alleged victim, according to a police report.

The alleged victim, who is 9 years old now, told authorities the abuse occurred while she was 6 and 8 years old, according to media reports.

Brannen was arrested and booked into the Charleston County Jail on Monday, according to jail records. He faces two felony counts of criminal sexual misconduct and a single count of performing a lewd act on a child, according to booking records.

Brannen's attorney said in court Monday that similar charges against his client were investigated in 2009 but were found to be untrue. The attorney said the charges stem from an ongoing dispute.

"(The accusations) were developed not from the child but through interested parties," attorney Andy Savage told the Post and Courier. "That’s the context. ... I think that’s really important."

The young victim described the alleged sexual conduct in a taped interview at the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center, according to a Mount Pleasant police report.

The girl told counselors that she often observed Brannen and another unidentified party abuse alcohol and cocaine and the victim said she saw marijuana while visiting Brannen and the other party, according to the police report.

The young girl did not live with Brannen. Police released a heavily redacted incident report related to invesitagtion. It does not list Brannen's relationship to the alleged victim.

Websites describe Brannen as an "underground legend" in the rock genre. Over his 30-year career, he has released six albums. (See a music video here.) His current tour is reportedly on hold in wake of the charges.