A 23-year-old Ridgeville man has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office.
Daniel Aaron Todd was taken into custody on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
How the investigation started
The case began with a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, along with Dorchester County deputies, searched Todd’s home on Oct. 13. The sheriff’s office says detectives found files containing child sexual abuse material during the search.
The investigation was done with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Charges
Todd is charged with:
- Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor
- Third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor
Under South Carolina law, second-degree exploitation generally involves distributing such material, while third-degree involves possessing it. Both are felonies.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.
Sheriff’s statement
Sheriff Sam Richardson praised the investigators and deputies involved, saying the arrest shows the task force’s commitment to holding people accountable for crimes against children.
Todd is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
How to report
Suspected online exploitation of a child can be reported to NCMEC’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or report.cybertip.org. In an emergency, call 911.
Source: Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by ABC News 4
