South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 43-year-old Florence man on 9 counts involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, made the arrest, Wilson said in a press release.
Investigators say Lentheus McAlister of the 1500 block of South Lee Drive, “was involved in sending child pornography via file sharing,” Wilson said.
McAlister is a Children Services Counselor at Pee Dee Mental Health, according to his Facebook profile and other data.
“A search warrant was obtained and executed at McAlister’s residence on (Tuesday),” Wilson said. “Computer equipment was discovered which contained child pornography,” Wilson added.
McAlister was arrested and charged with 9 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 2nd degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.
McAlister “provide(s) counseling services to children in the school, home and the community,” according to his Facebook profile. McAlister has been a Children Services Counselor since 2003, according to Facebook.
Pee Dee Mental Health offices in Florence told News13 that Lentheus McAlister worked there, but was not in the office Tuesday. WBTW was unable to speak to a human resources manager for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
