Lexington Man, 31, Accused of Soliciting a Minor for Sex, Faces 10 Years

A 31-year-old Lexington County man is facing a felony charge after investigators say he solicited a minor for sex, according to the South Carolina Attorney General's Office. Joshua Rene Massalou was arrested on August 14 and booked on one count of criminal solicitation of a minor, with bond set at $125,000. He remains connected to what authorities describe as a case involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Massalou's arrest was carried out by Lexington County Sheriff's Department investigators working with the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the South Carolina Attorney General's Office confirmed it will prosecute the case. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said a 31-year-old was arrested on a charge connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the office's announcement. Bond details and booking information were documented by Recently Booked, which listed the $125,000 bond amount following his arrest.

Per investigators, Massalou solicited a minor for sex, a claim that forms the basis of the felony charge now pending against him. As reported by ABC Columbia, he was charged with one count of criminal solicitation of a minor following the August 14 arrest. Massalou is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

What South Carolina Law Says About the Charge

Criminal solicitation of a minor is a felony offense under South Carolina Code § 16-15-342, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, per the South Carolina Legislature. The statute also specifies that it is not a legal defense if the person believed to be a minor was actually an undercover law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity. The dossier does not specify whether an undercover officer, an actual minor, a particular communication platform, or additional forensic evidence was involved in Massalou's case, and those details remain unconfirmed.

The supplied sources do not address whether a conviction under S.C. Code § 16-15-342 carries mandatory Tier II registration on the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry. The supplied sources also do not describe Tier II registration's address-verification requirements.

A Statewide Task Force Under Growing Pressure

The South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force operates under the Attorney General's Office and now coordinates investigations across more than 50 state, local, and federal partner agencies, according to the office. Alan Wilson has served as the state's chief prosecutor since taking office in January 2011, and his office has made online child exploitation enforcement a recurring priority. The supplied sources do not establish the task force's agency-count history or how its federal grant funding has changed. They also do not establish whether administrators sought additional state funding in response to a rising volume of digital tips.

The supplied sources do not describe an earlier Lexington County case involving the task force. Massalou's arrest also comes four days before Hoodline reported on a Greenville woman's felony charges tied to a separate ICAC Task Force investigation.