South Carolina AG Announces Arrests for Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges

AG: South Carolina News

Filed March 23rd, 2026

Detected March 24th, 2026

Summary

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of two men, Harrison Todd Dawson and Andrew Paul Varnadore, on 17 charges related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The arrests were made by investigators from multiple agencies, including the Attorney General's Office and local sheriff's offices, following reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

The South Carolina Attorney General's Office has announced the arrest of Harrison Todd Dawson and Andrew Paul Varnadore on charges related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Dawson faces three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree, while Varnadore faces fourteen felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree. These charges carry potential penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment per count.

These cases highlight the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat the distribution and possession of CSAM. The investigations were initiated based on CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Attorney General's Office will prosecute these cases, emphasizing that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Regulated entities involved in online content or data processing should be aware of the severe legal consequences associated with CSAM and ensure robust compliance measures are in place to prevent and report such activity.

What to do next

Review internal policies and procedures for identifying and reporting child sexual abuse material.
Ensure employee training covers relevant laws and reporting obligations concerning CSAM.
Cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations into CSAM.

Penalties

Up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

Source document (simplified)

MAR 23, 2026

Upstate men arrested on 17 Child Sexual Abuse Material* charges

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Harrison Todd Dawson, 19, of Anderson, S.C., and Andrew Paul Varnadore, 46, of Greer, S.C., on 17 total charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and Greenville County Sheriff's Office made the arrests in these unrelated cases. Investigators with the Attorney General's Office, Anderson Police Department, and S.C. Department of Probation, Pardon, and Parole, all also members of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with these investigations.

Investigators received CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Dawson and Varnadore. Investigators state Dawson possessed files of child sexual abuse material, and Varnadore distributed files of child sexual abuse material.

Dawson was arrested on March 17, 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.

Varnadore was arrested on March 17, 2026. He is charged with 14 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.

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.

Back to News