South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Jerry Wayne Williams, a 67-year-old resident of Columbia, South Carolina. Williams faces seven charges related to the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. The arrest was carried out by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators from the Mount Pleasant Police Department. Investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service, also part of the state's ICAC task force, assisted in the investigation.
According to investigators, Williams solicited someone he believed to be a minor for sex and sent sexually explicit images to that person. The arrest took place on October 4, 2024.
Williams is charged with three counts of criminal solicitation of a minor under section §16-15-342. Each count is a felony offense carrying a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment. Additionally, he faces four counts of attempted dissemination of obscene material to a person under age eighteen under section §16-15-345. These charges are also felony offenses punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Wilson emphasized that "all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law."