Man Wanted for Child Exploitation in South Carolina Arrested in Columbus

Police in South Carolina arrested a guy they were looking for in Columbus, Mississippi, on October 31, 2024.

A news release from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office says that detectives in Lowndes County got a tip from a detective with the Charleston County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office and a member of the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.

Police in Lowndes County were told by the tip that they were looking into a case involving a man who was wanted for four counts of exploitation of a child. The person, who was named Josfat Salomon Martinez but also went by the name Miguel Sierra, was tracked to Columbus.

The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office says that Martinez was arrested at 140 Juanita Street in Columbus by Lowndes County officers and members of the U.S. Marshalls Fugitive Tax Force.

As the probe went on, detectives asked for search warrants for two cell phones that they found. The police discovered that both cell phones had movies and pictures of adults sexually abusing children. In an interview, Martinez said that both of the cell phones belonged to him.

Martinez was charged with two counts of child exploitation in Lowndes County based on the proof that was gathered. The amount of bail he was given was $125,000 for each count of animal abuse.

Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said, “Martinez was feeding the child exploitation pipeline by putting up pictures and videos of kids being abused over and over again.” I’m thankful for the police and groups like ICAC that work hard to keep our kids safe from being sexually abused or exploited. I’m also thankful for the ways we work together with law officers. With the help of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force, we were able to help the Sheriff’s Office in Charleston County, South Carolina, catch this dangerous sexual abuser.

Source: Man Wanted in South Carolina for Child Exploitation Arrested in Columbus