A 38-year-old Summerville man was arrested Wednesday on two felony charges after investigators say he distributed and possessed files depicting child sexual abuse. Michael Dale Vereen II now faces one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
According to live5news.com, the case began after investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a tip that eventually led them to Vereen. Investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force made the arrest, with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office assisting as a fellow member of the state’s ICAC Task Force.
Per WCBD News 2, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest and charges on Friday. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case.
How the Investigation Unfolded
Investigators say Vereen distributed and possessed files of child sexual abuse material, though the exact nature of those files and the identity of the minor involved have not been disclosed. The case traces back to a CyberTipline report, a system run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that funnels suspected exploitation cases to law enforcement nationwide.
South Carolina’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works closely with law enforcement around the state, NCMEC, and several other state and federal agencies, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. That collaboration is central to how cases like Vereen’s come together, with tips often originating from technology companies before being passed to task force investigators for follow-up.
A Growing Volume of Reports Nationally
The scale of what NCMEC’s tip line processes each year has been climbing sharply. The organization identified and escalated more than 53,000 CyberTipline reports as urgent or involving a child in imminent danger in 2025, and reports of online enticement rose 158% compared with the year before, per the group’s own data published at missingkids.org. Reports of child sex trafficking climbed 323% over the same period, and the CyberTipline took in 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement in 2025 alone, including more than 80,000 involving sextortion.
Those national numbers mirror a pattern South Carolina has seen in its own backyard. A February 2025 report from the Lexington County Chronicle described local Internet Crimes Against Children arrests and a statewide increase in cyber-tip numbers, noting that CyberTipline reports had led investigators to multiple suspects in that case as well.
What the Charges Carry
Under South Carolina law, third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor covers knowingly possessing material containing a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity, or appearing in sexually explicit nudity, where a reasonable person would infer a purpose of sexual stimulation, according to statutory language published by scstatehouse.gov. The statute also addresses certain visual depictions altered to make it appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Each of the two charges Vereen faces carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, meaning he could face a combined maximum of 20 years if convicted on both counts. No information on a bond amount, his detention status, or a scheduled court date has been made available.
