DARLINGTON SHERIFF ARRESTS HARTSVILLE WOMAN IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE

COLUMBIA, S.

C., Dec. 17 -- The South Carolina Attorney General issued the following news release:

Attorney General Henry McMaster announced today that Iris Schaefer, 55, of 418 Hawthorne Drive in Hartsville, South Carolina, was arrested on December 13, 2010, by the Darlington County Sheriff's Office for distribution of child pornography.

The Darlington County Sheriff's Office is a member of the Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Task Force investigators have received training on the use of special software to conduct undercover investigations related to the sharing of child pornography on peer-to-peer (file sharing) networks.

Schaefer is charged with one (1) counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Sec. 16-15-405), 2nd Degree, a felony offense punishable by two (2) to ten (10) years imprisonment.

Schaefer is charged with sharing digital photographs and/or videos over the Internet depicting children engaged in sex acts. Schaefer's computer was seized for forensic examination. Files containing the pornographic images were found on that computer.

The City of Hartsville Police Department and the S.

C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services assisted in the case.

Schaefer was assigned a $5,000 bond. A booking photo is available through the Darlington County Detention Center.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

McMaster stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Mark Plowden, 803/734-3670, mplowden@scag.gov.