South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced the arrest of Joshua Washington Shoulders, a 29-year-old resident of West Columbia, South Carolina. Shoulders faces three charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. The arrest was carried out by investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force within the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. Additional support in the investigation came from the Attorney General's Office and the University of South Carolina Police Department.
The investigation began after a CyberTipline report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led authorities to Shoulders. According to investigators, Shoulders is accused of distributing files containing child sexual abuse material.
Shoulders was taken into custody on October 22, 2024. He has been charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree (§16-15-405). This felony offense carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment for 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."
The term "child sexual abuse material" or CSAM is used to accurately describe such crimes, as it avoids implying any consent on behalf of minors involved. The global shift away from using "child pornography" reflects this understanding.