South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of two men from Lexington County on charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. Matthew Leonard Loveridge, 20, from Cayce, and Christopher Paul Comer, 28, from Pelion, were arrested by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. These arrests are part of unrelated cases.
The investigations were prompted by CyberTipline reports received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, both Loveridge and Comer were involved in distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.
Loveridge was taken into custody on January 28, 2025. He faces four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under §16-15-405. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Similarly, Comer was also arrested on January 28, 2025. He is charged with three counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under §16-15-405, with each charge carrying the same potential penalty as those faced by Loveridge.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute these cases. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that “all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
In discussing the terminology used for these offenses, it was noted that “child sexual abuse material” or CSAM is preferred over “pornography” because it more accurately describes the nature of these crimes without implying consent by victims.
