Charleston man caught with sexually explicit images of young children

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Charleston County officials have arrested a man and charged him with 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Nathaniel Lamar Cummings, 63, of Charleston, was arrested Thursday and charged with ten counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Affidavits accompanying Cummings’ arrest state that detectives were executing a search warrant for his home at 2200 Pinehurst Avenue when they found explicit images on his cellphone and computer that showed boys and girls between the ages of three and eight being subjected to or participating in lewd acts.

Investigators believe that one of the images they found in Cummings’ possession was “self-made.”

The investigation was reportedly triggered by an anonymous tip in early December 2023. A person had conducted a reverse image search using one of the unique images in November, after which investigators obtained the search warrant.

In addition to the images and files found on Cummings’ phone, investigators said they also found a website with several images of child abuse. Investigators also found images and videos of child abuse on a computer.

Cummings was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center. His bail was set at $600,000, but he remains in custody.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by Mount Pleasant and Charleston police and the Homeland Security Investigations Agency.

All rights reserved.