South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced on Apr. 6 the arrest of Steven Lee Hewitt, Sr., a 55-year-old resident of Williamsburg, South Carolina, on eight charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was made by Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators from the Attorney General’s Office, with assistance from the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The case began after investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Authorities say that Hewitt distributed files containing child sexual abuse material. He was taken into custody on April 3 and faces eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree. Each count is a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Hewitt had previously been convicted on similar charges in 2022. The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute this case.
Attorney General Wilson said, “All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.” The press release also clarified terminology: “Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. ‘Pornography’ can imply the child was a consenting participant. Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.”
The South Carolina Attorney General supports victims through advocacy and resources to help protect communities across the state according to its official website. The office serves as South Carolina’s primary legal advocate and enforcer for prosecutions and regulations according to its official website. Alan Wilson has served as head of this office according to its official website, which operates statewide according to its official website.
The office also enforces laws related to securities and consumer protection matters according to its official website and collaborates with law enforcement agencies across South Carolina on criminal prosecutions according to its official website.
