Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Anderson Co. man sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of Minors

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that an Anderson County man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to nine years in prison for the sexual exploitation of minors. Robert Earl Turner pleaded guilty on February 7, 2022, to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree, and four counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3rd Degree, before the Honorable R. Scott Sprouse in Anderson County.

On April 5th, 2018, investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a report that a user had uploaded four files of Child Sexual Abuse Material using an internet program. The account was traced back to Turner’s residence in Anderson County. Turner admitted to investigators they would find illegal files on his devices. Turner was already a registered sex offender following a 1999 conviction for lewd act involving a child under the age of 14. A forensic examination of seized devices revealed over 3,500 files of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

While Turner was out on bond, on April 23, 2020, Special Investigator Lucinda McKellar with the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit began investigating another report that a user had uploaded Child Sexual Abuse Material to a social media site. The investigation revealed the phone number associated with the user belonged to an account holder who lived in Anderson County. Turner was found living in a camper behind the home. A forensic examination of additional seized devices found over 19,600 files of CSAM.

Judge Sprouse sentenced Turner to concurrent terms of nine years in prison, with credit for 707 days he has served. Turner also forfeited his devices.