Horry County Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -  March 18, 2020 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Joel C. Herrick, age 19, of Conway, SC, on five charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. 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 Herrick. Investigators state Herrick distributed and possessed files of child pornography.  

Herrick was arrested on March 17, 2020. He is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count; and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

This 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.