Sumter man arrested on child sexual abuse material charges, AG office says

A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the arrest of James Edward Garvin IV, 35, of Sumter, according to the South Carolina attorney general’s office.

The Midlands man was arrested on four charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a news release. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force made the arrest July 9, according to the release.

Garvin is accused of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the release.

Sumter Police Department and South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon investigators helped catch Garvin. Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the national center, leading to the arrest.

Garvin will be prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office, according to the release. He is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree and one count of sexual exploitation in the third degree. If convicted, Garvin faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge.