Investigators from the S.C. Attorney General’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested an Elgin man Thursday on several child pornography charges.
In a press release, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson identified the arrested man as Thomas O. Turner, 51. Wilson said the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, which are both part of the task force, assisted with the investigation and arrest.
According to Wilson, investigators received a CyperTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that led them to Turner’s Elgin residence. Turner allegedly distributed and possessed child pornography via social media.
Turner is charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, all of which are felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case. Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
According to Attorney General’s Office Special Investigator Jason Hughes, Turner is out on bond from the Kershaw County Detention Center.