Darlington County men arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material* charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Wyman Troy Manuel, 57, of Hartsville, S.C., Frederick John Vazquez, 26, of Darlington, S.C., and Ronald Dewitt Cress, 69, of Florence, S.C., on five total charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office made the arrests in these unrelated cases. Investigators with the Darlington County Sheriff's Office, Hartsville Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, all also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with these investigations.

Investigators received CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Manuel and Vazquez. Investigators state Manuel possessed files of child sexual abuse material, Vazquez distributed files of child sexual abuse material, and Cress possessed files of child sexual abuse material.  

Manuel was arrested on September 22, 2026. He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Vazquez was arrested on September 22, 2026. He is charged with three 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.

Cress was arrested on September 22, 2026. He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Manuel was out on bond from a prior arrest on similar charges in 2025.

These cases will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed that 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.