Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Christopher Lee Hagood, a 45-year-old resident of Anderson, South Carolina. Hagood faces ten charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Attorney General's Office.

The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led authorities to Hagood. According to investigators, Hagood is accused of distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.

Hagood was taken into custody on October 22, 2024. He is charged with ten counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under South Carolina law (§16-15-405). Each count carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office. In his statement, Attorney General Wilson emphasized that "all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law."

The term "child sexual abuse material" or CSAM is used to describe these crimes more accurately than "pornography," as it clarifies that children involved were not consenting participants. This terminology shift reflects global efforts to address such crimes more appropriately.