Over the past few months, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigators followed up on leads received from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) initiative of child sexual abuse imagery being uploaded to social media sites from computers/electronic devices by an unknown subject on Lady’s Island.
The investigation revealed that the child sexual abuse imagery in question had been uploaded at 2 Shiney Leaf Court, Lady’s Island.
Search Warrant
Based on that information, investigators obtained warrants from a Beaufort County magistrate to search the Lady’s Island residence for the computers/electronic devices used to upload the imagery.
On June 23, 2022, investigators served the search warrant at the residence and seized numerous devices. Andrew Graves, 19, was identified as the subject responsible for uploading the imagery through preliminary examinations of the devices and interviews of people at the residence.
It was learned, Graves, who was not present at the residence during the search warrant, was at a summer camp in Clarendon County, South Carolina.
Investigators contacted agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to assist in locating Graves. By the time agents arrived at the camp, they learned Graves had left.
Further Investigation
In the weeks that followed, investigators were in contact with an attorney retained by Graves. During those contacts, additional electronic devices belonging to Graves were seized.
Investigators also served a search warrant on Graves’s email account. The search warrant on Graves’s email revealed a large quantity of child sexual abuse imagery.
Following the discovery of the imagery in Graves’s email, investigators met with a Beaufort County magistrate and obtained warrants for Graves’s arrest for three counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 2nd Degreee and three counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 3rd Degree.
Graves’s attorney was advised of the six arrest warrants and arranged for Graves to turn himself in.
Arrest of Andrew Graves
This morning, Thursday, July 21. 2022, Graves turned himself in to investigators in Beaufort. Following his arrest, Graves was transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center and incarcerated.
A Beaufort County magistrate set Graves’s bond at $30,000 for the charges. Graves was later reased from the detention center.
In-depth forensic examinations of Graves’s computers/electronic devices will be conducted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and may lead to additional criminal charges.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute Graves for all criminal charges stemming from this ICAC investigation.
