Horry County Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Sept. 17, 2019 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Russell Ray Johnston, IV (age 36), of Myrtle Beach, SC, on four charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Horry 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 Johnston. Investigators state Johnston possessed multiple files of child pornography. 

Johnston was arrested on September 12, 2019. He is charged with four 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.

These cases 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.