SC AG Arrests Columbia Man for Criminal Solicitation of a Minor

Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that on March 30, 2011, his office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with assistance from the Columbia Police Department arrested Mark Ashley, 40, of 254 Owens Rd, Apt. B in Columbia, SC.

The Columbia Police Department is a member of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Also involved in the search and investigation were Missouri ICAC, New Jersey ICAC, and the Fort Jackson CID.

Arrest warrants allege Ashley had online conversations of a sexual nature with a minor through MySpace and cellular telephone. Additionally, the warrants allege that Ashley repeatedly requested and eventually obtained nude photos of the minor female which he then sent to a person in New Jersey.

Ashley was arrested on one (1) count of Criminal Solicitation of a Minor (§16-15-342), a felony offense punishable by up to ten (10) years imprisonment. He was released on $10,000 bond. A booking photo is available through the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

Read the News Release.