Murrells Inlet man arrested in child exploitation investigation; laptops, devices seized

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s office arrested a Murrells Inlet man Thursday in connection to a child exploitation investigation.

Stephen Bradley, 51, was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree and booked at the Georgetown County Detention Center, according to the Georgetown bookings page.

A SWAT team and the criminal investigation division of the sheriff’s office conducted a search warrant on his Murrells Inlet residence, according to a release. More than 3,100 images depicting minors engaged in sexual activity were found in Bradley’s possession.

During the search, multiple computers and electronic devices were seized.

The search was the culmination of months of work by Georgetown County investigators in coordination with the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children task force, a release stated.

“I am proud of the work being done to rid our communities of these useless individuals who prey upon our children,” Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said in the release.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 3:58 PM.