Federal Charges Filed Against Anderson Co. Man in 3 year-long Child Porn investigation
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office has released information about a child pornography investigation from 2021 that led to the arrest of Sherman Alexander Turner, 28, of Williamston. Turner is now facing federal charges for possession, distribution and production of child pornography and transferring obscene matter to a minor.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office says detectives discovered 17 victims in 10 different states. The investigation went on for a year and a half after an online tip about Turner came into their national database in March 2021.
Deputies said the photos they found while investigating revealed the victims were between the ages of 12 and 18 and lived in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Virginia
- South Carolina
The sheriff’s office said Turner took on two different personas to reel in and blackmail his victims across the country.
During the search warrant, deputies seized Turner’s phone. While going through Turner’s phone, deputies said there were thousands upon thousands of photos and videos of children.
Sherman Alexander Turner
Turner was indicted on March 8, 2022, on the following changes:
- possession of child pornography
- four counts of distribution of child pornography
- four counts of production of child pornography
- transferring obscene material to a minor
According to the indictment, Turner was allegedly receiving and sending this content since 2019. Turner was arrested in May 2021 and charged with one count of child porn, as there was only one victim, deputies said. The investigation continued with Homeland Security working with Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Turner reached a plea deal with the prosecutor to plead guilty to the production of child pornography and the rest of his charges would be dropped. Production of child pornography carries a 15 to 30-year sentence.
The case was not highlighted before now because investigators were not at a stopping point and found victims as late as August 2022, deputies said.
Tuner is being housed for US Marshalls at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.