Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Devin Blake Saylor, 31, of Ninety Six, S.C., on nine charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators from the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, Aiken County Sheriff's Office, Saluda County Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations, all members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.

Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Saylor. According to investigators, Saylor engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor and manufactured, distributed, and possessed files of child sexual abuse material.

Saylor was arrested on July 11, 2024. He is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor (§16-3-655(A)(1)); one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree (§16-15-395), a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment; two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree (§16-15-405), each count being a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment; and five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree (§16-15-410), each count being a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is considered a more accurate reflection of these crimes compared to "pornography," which can imply consent from victims who cannot legally provide it. Globally, CSAM is replacing older terminology for this reason.