Lowcountry man sentenced to 20 years for possession of child sexual abuse material

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)- A Lowcountry man was sentenced to two decades behind bars for possessing child sexual abuse material, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (SCAG) announced Monday.

A Dorchester County jury found 42-year-old John B. Johnson guilty of 17 counts of child sexual exploitation following a three-day trial.

According to the AG’s Office, an electronic service provider contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2020 about a user uploading child sexual abuse material on its platform.

Members of the SCAG’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant on Johnson’s home in Dorchester County on May 28. Additional files were located on an electronic device in the home, authorities said.

Johnson reportedly admitted to being the source of the material but claimed it was unintentional.

The jury heard testimony from the SCAG, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security, Summerville Police, and North Charleston Police Department.

Johnson received the maximum sentence of 10 years on all counts, but the Court structured the sentence to result in 20 years of active prison time.

He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.