South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Jaylin William Patton, 19, from Hollywood, South Carolina, on four charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, part of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, carried out the arrest. The investigation also involved members from the Attorney General’s Office, Mount Pleasant Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations, all part of the state’s ICAC Task Force.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) identified Patton as a suspect. According to investigators, Patton distributed and possessed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Patton was taken into custody on October 23, 2025. He faces three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, also punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.
Attorney General Wilson stated, “All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
The term “child sexual abuse material” (CSAM) is used to describe the material involved in these crimes. The use of “pornography” can suggest consent by the child, which is not accurate. The term CSAM is increasingly being adopted worldwide for this reason.
