Columbia man arrested on one Child Sexual Abuse Material* charge

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Tremell Bethea, 19, of Columbia, S.C., on one charge connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Mount Pleasant Police Department made the arrest. Investigators with the Richland County Sheriff's Department, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.

Investigators state Bethea produced child sexual abuse material.

Bethea was arrested on July 9, 2025. He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree (§16-15-395), a felony offense punishable by up to 20 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.

* Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. "Pornography" can imply the child was a consenting participant.  Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.