South Carolina Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Charles Carlton Francis, 28, of Columbia, on 15 charges connected to the exploitation of a minor.
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), both also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the arrest.
Investigators state Francis distributed child pornography.
Francis was arrested on Dec. 14. He is charged 15 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment on each count.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.
Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
