Lexington County man sentenced for having 59,000 files of child sexual abuse material

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced a man has been sentenced for having tens of thousands of files of child sexual abuse material.

Court officials said Sam Smith was arrested after a June 14, 2021, investigation determined a user of a file-sharing network made child sexual abuse materials available for download and detectives tracked the files back to an address in Lexington County.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at the home that was connected to the address and the homeowner said that Smith lived in a trailer near the home and may also have the Wi-Fi password.

Investigators confirmed with the internet service provider there were more devices connected to the Wi-Fi account than could be accounted for at the residence.

When investigators tried speaking with Smith, he was evasive and detectives executed a search warrant on Smith’s trailer and found child sexual abuse material and child sexual abuse material accessories.

A full forensic examination by a computer examiner with the Attorney General’s Office located approximately 59,000 files of child sexual abuse material said officials.

Smith pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and Judge Keesley sentenced Smith to 10 years in prison, with credit for 827 days already served. Smith will have to register as a sex offender upon his release. He also turned over his electronic devices.

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