Palmetto State News

A man from Heath Springs, South Carolina, was recently arrested on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor. The announcement, made by South Carolina's Attorney General Alan Wilson, involved the arrest of 26-year-old Thomas James Adams. The investigation was conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with involvement from the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office and the Attorney General's Office, both of which are part of the ICAC Task Force in the state.

The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It led investigators to Adams, where it was alleged that he had been distributing and possessing files classified as child sexual abuse material.

The specific charges against Adams include two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree, each of which carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment. Additionally, he faces three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, with each count also carrying a possible sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment. The arrest occurred on April 4, 2025.

The prosecution of this case will be handled by the Attorney General's Office. In his statement, 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 utilized to accurately describe the material involved in these crimes. The use of "CSAM" aims to eliminate the implication that a child was a consenting participant, a nuance often misunderstood with the term "pornography." Internationally, CSAM is increasingly being adopted in place of the outdated term "child pornography."