South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of three men from Florence County on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. Daniel James Ladd, 57, and Shawn Schroeder, 55, both from Florence, and Daniel Joseph Alford, 21, from Scranton, were taken into custody following investigations by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
The arrests stemmed from CyberTipline reports received by investigators from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to authorities, all three men are accused of distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.
Ladd faces four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree. Schroeder is charged with three counts of the same offense. Alford faces two counts. Each charge is classified as a felony and carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison per count under South Carolina law (§16-15-405).
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted with these investigations as part of their roles within the state’s ICAC Task Force. The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute all 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” (CSAM) is now used instead of “child pornography” to more accurately describe the nature of these crimes. The change reflects concerns that “pornography” can imply consent on the part of minors; internationally, CSAM has become the preferred terminology for this reason.
