Columbia, SC 01/30/2025 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Matthew Leonard Loveridge (age 20), of Cayce, S.C., and Christopher Paul Comer (age 28), of Pelion, S.C., on seven total charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department made the arrests in these unrelated cases. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigations.
Investigators received CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to both Loveridge and Comer. Investigators state Loveridge and Comer distributed files of child sexual abuse material.
Loveridge was arrested on January 28, 2025. He is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.
Comer was arrested on January 28, 2025. He is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.
These cases will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.
Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
*Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. "Pornography" can imply the child was a consenting participant. Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.
PHOTO CAPTION: Matthew Leonard Loveridge (age 20), of Cayce, S.C.
PHOTO CAPTION: Christopher Paul Comer (age 28), of Pelion, S.C.
