NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of 34-year-old, Jonathan Blake Pinkston of Aiken, S.C., on three charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors.

Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Pinkston.

Investigators state Pinkston produced, possessed, and distributed Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)*.

Pinkston was arrested on May 9, 2023. 

He is charged with:

  • one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, first degree – a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment
  • one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree – a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment
  • one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree – a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

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

*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.