Two York County Men Sentenced to Prison on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges

Two York County men have been handed prison sentences after pleading guilty to charges involving child sexual abuse material, according to an announcement from Attorney General Alan Wilson. The sentencings took place earlier this week before Judge David P. Caraker, Jr.

Collin Patrick Taylor received a seven-year prison term, to be followed by three years of probation, for one count of second-degree and one count of third-degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The second-degree charge relates to the distribution of child sexual abuse material, while the third-degree charge concerns its possession. Taylor’s probation includes special conditions of sex offender counseling, potentially ending after two years of compliance. Upon release, he must register as a sex offender and forfeit his electronic devices.

Taylor’s case originated in April 2022 when the York County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the uploading of illegal material from a social media user identified as Taylor. An investigation pinpointed the upload to his residence, leading to a search warrant and the discovery of further child sexual abuse material on his seized electronic devices.

In a separate case heard on the same day, David Alan Powell pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by two years of probation with mandatory sex offender counseling. Like Taylor, Powell will be required to register as a sex offender and forfeit his electronic devices upon release.

Powell’s involvement came to light in August 2023 when the York County Sheriff’s Office received another CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning the uploading of child sexual abuse material. The subscriber information identified Powell, and the upload was traced to his York County home. A search warrant led to the seizure of his electronic devices, which contained 1,200 additional files of child sexual abuse material.

Both investigations were conducted by the York County Sheriff’s Office following reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The sentencings underscore the ongoing efforts to combat the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material in South Carolina.