St. Stephen man arrested on 12 charges in child porn case

A 24-year-old St. Stephen man faces 12 charges in connection with the child pornography authorities said they found on his computer.

James Berry Tisdale was arrested Tuesday on two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Each of the charges is a felony.

If convicted, Tisdale could face up to 120 years in prison.

The second-degree charge is punishable by at least two years and up to a decade behind bars. Tisdale also faces up to 10 years on each of the third-degree counts.

A detective with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office downloaded files containing child porn in December and January, according to a statement to S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson. His office is prosecuting the case.

The files later were traced to Tisdale’s computer, the statement said.

Then on March 11, deputies searched his home and confiscated two desktop computers, two laptops and other equipment. Wilson stated that the computers contained pornography.

In lieu of a $170,000 bail, he remained today at the Hill Finklea Detention Center in Moncks Corner.

If he posts bail, Tisdale’s release conditions would restrict him from going near areas that children frequent, such as schools and libraries, and going on the Internet or using devices that have online access.

His arrest was his first in South Carolina, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

While Wilson’s statement indicated that Tisdale lives in St. Stephen, court records show an address of Planters Road in Kingstree.

Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.