Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Kenneth Ray Ballew, a 53-year-old resident of Anderson, South Carolina. Ballew faces two charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, affiliated with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. The investigation also received support from the Attorney General's Office, which is part of the state's ICAC Task Force.

The case against Ballew began after investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Ballew distributed files containing child sexual abuse material.

Ballew was taken into custody on January 17, 2025. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under section §16-15-405. This felony offense carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison for each count.

The prosecution will be handled 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."

It is noted that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now used as a term instead of "child pornography" because it more accurately describes these serious crimes without implying consent from victims.