South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Darien Shawn Saxon, a 25-year-old resident of Lexington, South Carolina. Saxon faces two charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from investigators in the Attorney General’s Office, which is also part of the state’s ICAC Task Force.
The investigation into Saxon began following a CyberTipline report received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Saxon is accused of distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.
Saxon was taken into custody on January 29, 2025. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under statute §16-15-405. This felony offense carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison for each count.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
It is noted that “child sexual abuse material” or CSAM is increasingly used to describe these crimes as it more accurately reflects their nature. The term “pornography” may imply consent on behalf of minors, which is misleading and inappropriate.
