Summerville man faces child porn charges

A Summerville man faces multiple felony charges after investigators found numerous child pornography files on his computer, including images of infants engaged in sex acts with adults, authorities said.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Scott Douglas Marriott, 36, on 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, a member of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, made the arrest.

On Sept. 23, a Berkeley County undercover detective downloaded five video files from the suspect’s computer which were available for public access and were shared using a file-sharing program, Wilson said. All five files contained child pornography , he said.

On Oct. 10, Berkeley County deputies searched Marriott’s home and seized three laptop computers, a desktop computer and other electronic devices, Wilson said. A forensic preview of that computer equipment revealed numerous files with videos depicting children as young as infants engaged in sexual activity with adults, he said.

Marriott was arrested on Wednesday and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor second degree, a felony offense punishable by two to 10 years imprisonment on each count, and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor third degree, a felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

Marriott’s bail was set at $75,000 and he was ordered to have no contact with children under the age of 17; and no electronic communications devices (cell phones, computing devices. etc.) with the exception of a landline telephone. He also was restricted from schools, malls and child playgrounds, and he must not reside closer than one mile of a school, Wilson said.