Columbia man sought sex from person he believed was a minor, attorney general says
A 45-year-old Columbia man and Richland 1 School District employee was charged for trying to sexually exploit a minor, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said.
According to the attorney general’s office, Christopher Thomas Rader, 45, of Columbia solicited sex from someone he believed to be a minor. Instead, it was an undercover law enforcement operation. Rader allegedly encouraged the person to produce child sexual abuse material, possessed child pornography, and sent sexually explicit images to the person he believed was a minor.
Rader faces two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, and three counts of attempted dissemination of obscene material to a person under the age of 18.
Rader has been employed as technology support specialist at the Richland 1 School District since 2016, according to information on the district’s website and Rader’s LinkedIn profile.
Rader’s alleged criminal activity did not involve any children at a school where he worked, according to a report by News19.
It’s unclear what disciplinary actions Rader may potentially face from the district.
Investigators with the Columbia Police Department and a member of the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted with the investigation, the attorney general’s office said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM.
