A convicted sex offender was arrested Wednesday after Effingham County Sheriff’s Office investigators found child pornography on his computer.
Donald Wayne Stuart, 54, of Springfield was charged with sexual exploitation of a child. He is being held in the Effingham County Jail and was denied bond by Chief Magistrate Scott Hinson at a hearing Thursday.
Investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched Stuart’s home on Mockingbird Drive after receiving information that Stuart had been viewing and sharing child pornography.
“He was interviewed, and he was very forthcoming about the child pornography on his computer,” said ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor.
Investigators said they found on Stuart’s laptop computer multiple images of child pornography including “several still photos as well as several videos of children that appeared to be 7, 8, 9 years old,” Ehsanipoor said.
Stuart was previously convicted and served time in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
“He did not learn his lesson,” Ehsanipoor said.
Stuart is one of 94 registered sex offenders in Effingham County, Ehsanipoor said. As part of the nationwide Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the ECSO has the latest technology in tracking people who use the Internet or other computer technology to sexually exploit children.
“We always keep a close eye on our registered sex offenders in the county,” Ehsanipoor said. “If you’re out there downloading child pornography, we will eventually come to your doorstep.”
Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie reminded parents to teach their children about Internet safety and monitor their children’s online activity.
“Sex offenders come from all walks of life,” McDuffie said. “Protecting our children is one of the highest priorities at the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and we will continue to pursue these cases in the future with ICAC.”
Ehsanipoor added that statistics show that viewing child pornography is often the first step toward someone molesting a child.
“They obviously enjoy seeing children do some very disturbing things, and they’re just building up the courage to act on it,” he said. “In many cases, these are people who will end up harming a child in some way.”
