South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrests of three Beaufort County men on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The individuals arrested are Christopher Scott Hershberger, 67, of Beaufort; Brandon Scott Baker, 38, of St. Helena Island; and Donald Eugene Pease, 61, of Hilton Head Island. The arrests were made by investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force within the Attorney General’s Office in separate cases.
Assistance in these investigations came from several agencies that are also members of South Carolina’s ICAC Task Force: the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, and Mount Pleasant Police Department.
The investigations began after CyberTipline reports were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Hershberger and Baker both distributed and possessed files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), while Pease is accused of distributing such material.
Hershberger was taken into custody on January 27, 2026. He faces five counts each of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Each count is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Baker was also arrested on January 27, 2026. He is charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Each charge carries a possible sentence of up to ten years imprisonment.
Pease was arrested on January 28, 2026. He is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; each count carries up to ten years in prison if convicted.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute all three cases.
Attorney General Wilson stated: “All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The term “child sexual abuse material” or CSAM is now used instead of “child pornography” because it more accurately describes materials involving abusive crimes against children rather than implying consent by victims.
