Snapchat tip leads police to charge Charleston man with child sex crimes – Post and Courier

A tip from the social media app Snapchat set in motion a police investigation that has led to the arrest of a Charleston man on allegations he possessed a slew of child pornographic videos.Charleston police booked Thomas Elliot Aspinwall into the county jail Nov. 4 on 10 charges of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The 38-year-old man was released the following day, records show, after posting a half-million dollar bail. Thomas Elliot Aspinwall was booked into the Charleston County jail Nov. 4 on 10 charges of third-degree criminal sexual exploitation of a minor. Provided/Charleston County Sheriff’s Office The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided a cyber tip to city police in the summer of 2020 regarding possible “child sexual abuse materials,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The tip originated from Snapchat, which suspected one of its users had uploaded an image of child pornography.A detective with the Charleston Police Department reviewed and substantiated the tip, leading law enforcement to execute a search warrant on Aug. 24 of this year at Aspinwall’s Charleston residence, per the affidavit. Police seized numerous electronic devices and located ten videos depicting child sexual abuse imagery. Aspinwall was previously the executive director of the
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