Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Elijah Demario Alexander, a 22-year-old resident of Rock Hill, South Carolina. Alexander faces ten charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was made by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the York 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). According to investigators, Alexander possessed files containing child sexual abuse material.

Alexander was taken into custody on December 12, 2024. He is charged with ten counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under South Carolina law (§16-15-410). Each count carries a potential penalty of up to ten 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" or CSAM is used as it accurately describes the nature of these crimes. The term "pornography" can suggest that children were consenting participants, which is not accurate. Globally, there is a shift towards using CSAM instead of child pornography for this reason.