South Carolina Sports Reporter Arrested On Child Porn Charges
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Attorney general’s office arrests WACH-TV reporter on three sexual exploitation charges… A South Carolina sports reporter has been arrested and charged with three counts of sexually exploiting a minor, according to a news release from the Palmetto State’s top prosecutor.Bonsai Casino According to S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson, 28-year-old Matthew Turner Vereen – a sports reporter for WACH TV-57 (FOX – Columbia, S.C.) – was arrested this week by agents of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. ICAC agents investigated Vereen with support from the Columbia, S.C. police department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) special investigations unit (HSI). “Investigators state Vereen distributed and possessed files of child sexual abuse material,” Wilson’s office noted in its release. Child sex abuse materials (or “CSAM”) is another term for child pornography. According to ICAC, the term is “a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes.” “Pornography can imply the child was a consenting participant,” the agency noted. According to the first of three probable cause affidavits accompanying the warrants for Vereen’s arrest, “a digital photo was located on an Apple laptop belonging to (Vereen)” during the recent execution of a search warrant. The photo depicted “an approximately 11 to 13-year-old female in a sexually explicit state of nudity,” according to the affidavit. Another probable cause affidavit accused Vereen of soliciting the purchase of “a one minute and 32 second video” which depicted a 13-year-old female “standing nude over a camera, exposing her bare breasts and vagina.” Yet another affidavit alleged Vereen “solicited the purchase of a one minute and 26 second video… which (depicted) a 13-year-old female standing nude in a bathroom and twerking, exposing her bare breasts, vagina and anus.” The affidavits alleged Vereen was identified by “Gmail records, Apple records, ISP records” and other digital markers. Per Wilson’s release, Vereen was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree (§16-15-405) – a felony offense punishable by up to ten years imprisonment on each count – and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to ten years imprisonment. As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Vereen is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him. Vereen’s WACH Fox bio indicates he grew up in Greenville, S.C., where he played soccer throughout high school prior to attending the University of Missouri journalism school. A former ESPN intern, Vereen previously reported at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri and anchored at KOLR-TV in Springfield, Missouri. Vereen’s bio also described him as a “supporter of local charities that help impoverished kids into sports.” Vereen will be prosecuted by the attorney general’s office. Count on this media outlet to provide updates in the event additional pertinent information regarding his case becomes available. (Source) Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children. ***
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Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE. *** ***** If the girl was indeed 13 years old, then authorities must know her identity. What happens to her for dancing nude and letting someone video the episode? What happens to the person doing the video? I can tell you. Absolutely nothing. But someone possessing the video gets ten years in prison and their life ruined forever. This is a crap law. If authorities are indeed concerned about child pornography, then go after the producers and the participants and sentence them to life in prison. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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