Beaufort County Preschool Staff Member Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

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In a troubling development from Beaufort County, South Carolina, it has emerged that one of the three local men recently apprehended on charges related to child sexual abuse material was employed at a preschool. This individual, identified as Brandon Scott Baker, 38, was taken into custody at the very preschool where he worked, Sea Island Sprouts, on Tuesday.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office confirmed Baker’s arrest, underscoring the seriousness of the charges. The case against him unfolded following CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which flagged his activities to the authorities.

According to investigators, Baker is accused of possessing and distributing files containing child sexual abuse material. He now faces serious legal repercussions, with charges including one count of second-degree and two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

This arrest is part of a broader crackdown in Beaufort County, where three men have been charged with unrelated child sex crimes, highlighting an ongoing and troubling issue in the community.

Second degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony offense and is punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment. Third degree is a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

After some digging, learned Baker was previously under investigation in 2024 for possession of child pornography in Telluride, Colorado.

According to a press release by the Telluride Marshall’s Department, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force received information indicating that Baker was in possession of Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM), commonly referred to as child pornography.

He was also serving as a preschool teacher there at the time.

The news release stated Baker was released after questioning, and the investigation was considered to still be active as of 2024.

did reach out to Telluride authorities to see if there had been an update on the investigation. As of Thursday, had not received any response.

Though the preschool did not directly confirm the identity of Baker as an employee, the school released a statement to confirming that an employee was arrested on Tuesday.

“On January 27, law enforcement was present on campus in connection with a legal matter involving an individual. The matter does not involve the school. The individual is no longer working at the school. We cooperated fully with authorities and notified appropriate licensing agencies. At the time of hiring, all required background checks and standard hiring procedures were completed in accordance with state licensing requirements. Because this is an active legal matter, we have no further information to share.”

According to South Carolina’s Social Services Child Care and Early Education Department, childcare employees are required to undergo a criminal background check through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Sex Offender Registry.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute all three cases.

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

As of Thursday, Baker, along with two other men charged with child sexual exploitation crimes, remained in the Beaufort County Detention Center.