Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Jake Brady Ergle, a 38-year-old resident of Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. The arrest is related to charges involving the sexual exploitation of minors. The Lexington County Sheriff's Department's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators executed the arrest with assistance from the Attorney General's Office, which is also part of the state's ICAC Task Force.

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

Ergle was taken into custody on January 15, 2025. He faces one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree (§16-15-410), which is classified as a felony offense and carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The Attorney General's Office will be responsible for prosecuting this case. Attorney General Wilson emphasized 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 precise term for these types of crimes compared to "pornography," as it does not suggest any consent by the child involved. The global community is increasingly adopting CSAM as the preferred terminology.