Lancaster County Man Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material* and Related Charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Seth William Headley, 32, of Kershaw, S.C., on 14 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. 

Investigators state Headley engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor, produced and possessed files of child sexual abuse material, and encouraged a minor to engage in prostitution. 

Headley was arrested on March 10, 2023. He is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, second degree (§16-3-655(B)(1)); seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree (§16-15-395), a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment on each count; five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment; and one count of promoting the prostitution of a minor (§16-15-415 (A)).

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.