Michael David Walla, a 70-year-old resident of West Columbia, South Carolina, has been arrested on five charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was made by investigators from the University of South Carolina Police Department, with assistance from Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
According to investigators, Walla possessed files containing child sexual abuse material. He was taken into custody on August 14, 2025. Walla faces five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor under South Carolina law (§16-15-410), each count carrying a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.
The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Alan 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 more accurately describe these crimes. The use of “pornography” can imply consent by the child, which is not possible; therefore, CSAM is increasingly being adopted globally as the preferred terminology.
