LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — A Lexington County man will spend the next several years in prison due to thousands of files containing child sexual abuse material, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office said on Friday.
Authorities said that, on Sept. 19, Samuel Eugene Smith Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor following an investigation on June 14, 2021.
Officials said the investigation began after a user of a file-sharing network made available child sexual abuse material online. Investigators were able to track the files back to Lexington County, where sheriff's office investigators executed a search warrant on a home. However, the homeowner indicated that a neighbor living in a nearby mobile home may also have the password to their wireless network.
Authorities learned from an internet service provider that more devices were connected to the wireless network than were found at home. Officials said Smith was evasive when deputies attempted to speak with him.
According to the attorney general's office, investigators obtained a search warrant on Smith's trailer and found "child sexual abuse material and child sexual abuse material accessories."
Authorities said a forensic investigation by a computer examiner with the attorney general's office uncovered roughly 59,000 files containing child sexual abuse material. Smith received a 10-year sentence with credit for 827 days - just over two years - already served for his crimes.
