Aiken County Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - March 28, 2019 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Matthew Jonathon Tant (age 18) of  North Augusta, SC, on 20 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor.  Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office made the arrest.  Investigators with  the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.

Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Tant. Investigators state Tant possessed multiple files of child pornography.  

Tant was arrested on March 26, 2019.  He is charged with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.