Orangeburg man arrested and charged in sexual exploitation of a minor case

An Orangeburg man was arrested and later charged with five counts of the sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

David Austin Robert Gillespie, 37, was arrested on May 14 and charged Friday.

Investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were led to Gillespie after receiving a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a news release.

This is not the first time Gillespie has faced charges connected with the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Gillespie was arrested in 2015 on 11 counts, involving allegations of sending child sexual abuse material via file sharing, investigators said.

His arrests in both 2015 and 2026 are felony offenses punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment for each count. It is unclear when Gillespie was released from his earlier sentence.

Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law May 18, four days after Gillespie was arrested, that will increase mandatory minimum prison sentences and create enhanced penalties in certain cases involving alleged child sexual abuse material.

The sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree, is now punishable by a minimum of three years. Those same charges were previously punishable by a minimum of two years.

The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Wilson stated in a press release that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.