Murrells Inlet man caught with child pornography, now serving seven years
Sexually explicit pictures of children were discovered on 65 year-old Lawrence Tafoya’s phone by his parole officer leading to a seven-year sentence in Georgetown County, Judge Benjamin H. Culbertson ruled on May 16, 2022.
Acccording to a release from the solicitor’s office, Tafoya pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, said Alicia Richardson, Deputy Solicitor, who prosecuted the case for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
This is not Tafoya’s first time in prison. According to the release, “Tafoya was previously convicted on a sex offense in Georgia and served several years in prison before being released on parole, which was transferred to South Carolina.”
Culbertson ruled that Tafoya must register as a sex offender, be on the central registry of child abuse and wear a GPS monitor upon his release from prison, according to the release.
“Tafoya also was designated as a Sexually Violent Predator, pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predator Act, the Attorney General’s office may pursue a civil commitment of Tafoya once he completes his prison sentence,” the release also read.
