Police in Anderson, S.C., arrested a 40-year-old man last month after he tried to solicit sex from an undercover officer claiming to be an 11-year-old girl. The man was charged with two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor. His was the 189th arrest made by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
The task force includes 50 law enforcement agencies. The state attorney general's office created the program following the 1998 Justice Appropriations Act, which called for a national network of dedicated state and local law enforcement units to investigate child sexual exploitation.
More than a decade later, greater numbers of children and teenagers are using the Internet and becoming potential targets for online predators. Such predators keep finding new ways to target minors, which is a continuing challenge for law enforcement officials.
The South Carolina task force investigates and prosecutes such child sexual exploitation cases. It also trains other agencies and officials in investigative and forensic techniques. Finally, it provides information and resources for children, parents, teachers and other community members to cut down on solicitation.
In South Carolina, a person older than 18 can be charged with criminal solicitation of a minor if the adult communicates with anyone under 18 "for the purpose of or with the intent of persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing the person to engage or participate in a sexual activity." Criminal solicitation also covers coercing youths into violent crimes or with the intent to perform a sexual activity in the presence of the minor.
The restrictions also cover "a person reasonably believed to be under the age of 18," such as an undercover police officer posing as a minor in Internet forums and chat rooms. The South Carolina law allows those charged with solicitation of a minor to use the other person's consent as a defense if the other person is between 16 and 18. However, defendants cannot argue the arrests are cases of entrapment when they involve an officer posing as a minor.
Those charged with felony criminal solicitation of a minor in South Carolina may face a $5,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
