South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Tremell Bethea, a 19-year-old resident of Columbia, S.C., on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Mount Pleasant Police Department. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department, also part of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted in the investigation.
According to investigators, Bethea is accused of producing child sexual abuse material. He was arrested on July 9, 2025, and faces one count of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor (§16-15-395), which is classified as a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will handle the prosecution of this case. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that “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 used to accurately describe these crimes as it reflects the abusive nature involved, avoiding implications that might suggest consent by using terms like “pornography.” Globally, there is a shift towards replacing “child pornography” with CSAM for this reason.
