Changeflow GovPing Courts & Legal Hutto and Suggs Arrested on Nine CSAM Charges
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Hutto and Suggs Arrested on Nine CSAM Charges

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Summary

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Bazle Kenneth Hutto, 70, and Dalana Inez Suggs, 25, on nine total charges connected to child sexual abuse material. Hutto faced three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), and Suggs faced six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), each carrying up to 10 years imprisonment per count. Both cases will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office, with investigators from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon, and Homeland Security Investigations participating in the ICAC Task Force investigations.

What changed

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the unrelated arrests of two Lexington County residents on charges of sexual exploitation of minors. Bazle Kenneth Hutto, 70, was arrested April 7, 2026 on three third-degree counts (§16-15-410), and Dalana Inez Suggs, 25, was arrested April 8, 2026 on six second-degree counts (§16-15-405). Both are felony offenses punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment per count. Hutto had a prior conviction on similar charges in 2026.

Affected parties include the defendants facing prosecution, law enforcement agencies involved in the ICAC Task Force investigations, and the Attorney General's Office conducting prosecution. The public and legal professionals should note that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

What to do next

  1. Monitor for case updates as prosecutions proceed

Archived snapshot

Apr 14, 2026

GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.

APR 13, 2026

Lexington County residents arrested on nine Child Sexual Abuse Material* charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Bazle Kenneth Hutto, 70, of Lexington, S.C., and Dalana Inez Suggs, 25, of Swansea, S.C., on nine 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 S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon, and Homeland Security Investigations, both also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with these investigations.

Investigators state Hutto possessed files of child sexual abuse material, and Suggs distributed files of child sexual abuse material.

Hutto was arrested on April 7, 2026. He is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

Suggs was arrested on April 8, 2026. She is charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

Hutto was previously convicted on similar charges in 2026.

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.

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Media Contact

For media inquiries please contact Robert Kittle, [email protected] or 803-734-3670

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Named provisions

§16-15-410 §16-15-405

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Last updated

Classification

Agency
SC AG
Published
April 13th, 2026
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Minor

Who this affects

Applies to
Criminal defendants Law enforcement
Industry sector
9211 Government & Public Administration
Activity scope
Criminal investigation Criminal prosecution Sexual exploitation charges
Geographic scope
US-SC US-SC

Taxonomy

Primary area
Criminal Justice
Operational domain
Legal
Topics
Public Health Law enforcement

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