South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Jaylen Patrick Thomas, a 24-year-old resident of Ladson, South Carolina. Thomas faces one charge related to the sexual exploitation of minors following an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office led the arrest, with support from investigators in the Attorney General’s Office, who are also part of the state’s ICAC Task Force.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to investigators, Thomas is accused of distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.
Thomas was taken into custody on November 21, 2025. He has been charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under South Carolina law (§16-15-405), which is classified as a felony and carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute this case. In his statement, Attorney General Wilson emphasized: “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 now used instead of “child pornography” because it more accurately describes the nature of these crimes and avoids any implication that children can consent to such acts. This change in terminology reflects global efforts to address these offenses more appropriately.
