Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Brandon Mark Pierson, 38, of Walterboro, S.C., on 16 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Pierson was apprehended by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Attorney General's Office.

The arrest of Pierson came following a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led the investigators to him. According to the investigators, Pierson was found to be in possession of files containing child sexual abuse material.

Pierson, who had been out on bond from a previous arrest in 2023 related to similar charges, was taken into custody on March 7, 2024. He faces 16 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment on each count. The case is set to be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

In light of the case, Attorney General Wilson emphasized the importance of the legal principle that "all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law."

The terminology used in such cases was also highlighted, with a shift towards using the term "child sexual abuse material" (CSAM) instead of "child pornography" to more accurately reflect the nature of the crimes committed.

The investigation and arrest of Pierson serve as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of minors and to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.