Palmetto State News

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Samuel Arose Arenas, a 25-year-old resident of Charleston, South Carolina. Arenas faces 10 charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. Additional assistance in the investigation came from the Attorney General's Office, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Goose Creek Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

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

Arenas was taken into custody on February 12, 2025. He is charged with 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under statute §16-15-410. This felony offense carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment for each count.

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

The term "child sexual abuse material" (CSAM) is used to describe these crimes as it more accurately reflects the nature of the offenses compared to "child pornography," which can misleadingly suggest consent by the minor involved. The global trend is moving towards using CSAM for clarity and accuracy in such cases.