Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Mason Clayton, a 23-year-old resident of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Clayton faces charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Mount Pleasant Police Department. The investigation received support from the Attorney General's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Charleston County Sheriff's Office, all part of the state's ICAC Task Force.

The investigation began following a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led authorities to Clayton. According to investigators, Clayton was found in possession of files containing child sexual abuse material.

Clayton was taken into custody on November 20, 2024. He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree (§16-15-410). This felony offense carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office. 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" (CSAM) is used as it more accurately describes the nature of these crimes compared to "pornography," which may suggest consent from the victim. The global shift towards using CSAM aims to reflect this distinction more clearly.