South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that an Upstate man has been sent to prison for the sexual exploitation of minors. On September 3, 2024, Gabriel Hostetler pleaded guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree, in Pickens County, before the Honorable William C. McMaster, III.
On June 27, 2021, Special Investigator Kevin Atkins, with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, was conducting a proactive investigation in the use of a file-sharing network for the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material. While online, he found a user that was making files of child sexual abuse material available to share. Investigator Atkins was able to identify a residence in Inman, South Carolina, as the home from which the material was being shared and the case was referred to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. A search warrant was executed on the home on December 15, 2021. Hostetler was not home at the time but was later apprehended and interviewed. After being advised of his Miranda rights, he admitted to using his cell phone to share child sexual abuse material. A search was done of his cell phone and multiple images of child sexual abuse material were found on the device. Hostetler was subsequently arrested and charged with 10 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 2nd degree, which is distribution, and 10 counts of SEM 3rd degree, which is possession.
On September 26, 2022, Special Investigator Kevin Atkins was again conducting a proactive investigation into the use of a file-sharing network for the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, and while online he found a user making files available to share. Inv. Atkins was able to identify a residence in Easley, South Carolina, as the location from which the child sexual abuse material was being shared. This case was referred to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. Ultimately the investigation determined the residents in the Anderson County home had moved to Spartanburg. Law enforcement located the homeowner, who revealed that his brother, Gabriel Hostetler, had lived with him at the time of the file-sharing event and had since moved to Pickens County. At that point a referral was made to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the Pickens home on October 6, 2022. Hostetler was home and agreed to talk to law enforcement. He admitted to continuing to possess child sexual abuse material on his devices. A review of his cell phone revealed additional illegal images.
Judge McMaster sentenced Hostetler to six years on each charge, to be run concurrently. He was given credit for 787 days in jail and will have to register as a Tier 2 sex offender upon his release.
Original source can be found here.