North Augusta man arrested on child sexual abuse material charges

Alexandra Koch, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·1 min read

Aug. 13—A North Augusta man was arrested Wednesday in connection to sexual exploitation of minors.

James Clifford Hatmaker, Jr., 59, is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor — third degree.

Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which led them to the suspect.

Investigators stated "Hatmaker possessed multiple files of child sexual abuse material," according to the report.

Pornographic files of victims ages 3 to 10 years old were found on the suspect's HP laptop computer, according to arrest warrants obtained from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office made the arrest. Investigators with the S.C. Attorney General's Office, also a member of the state's ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation, according to a report from the South Carolina Attorney's Office.

This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

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

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