COLUMBIA, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said Aaron Hardy, 26, of Rock Hill, South Carolina has been arrested on five charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors.
The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the York County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest.
Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office, Fort Mill Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, all also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.
Investigators said they received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Hardy. Investigators state Hardy possessed files of child sexual abuse material.
Authorities said Hardy was arrested on November 5, 2023. He is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.
This case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Wilson said all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
