Lexington, SC 01/22/2024 - Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green announced recently the arrest of William Jason Burgess, age 44 of Lexington, South Carolina, from an undercover investigation where it is alleged that he shared child sexual assault material via peer-to-peer software.
During a joint investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of the South Carolina Attorney General, it was found that William Burgess lived on Teesdale Court in the Coventry neighborhood in the Town of Lexington.
In early October 2023, a search warrant was executed at his home, where over thirty pieces of evidence were seized and then forensically analyzed. Investigators found photographs depicting children in a state of sexually explicit nudity. Investigators were able to identify two child victims who had been abused as far back as 2014 and as recently as April 2023. Investigators were able to determine that child sexual assault incidents occurred in the Town of Lexington and in Lexington County.
As a result of this ongoing investigation, William Burgess was arrested in early October and then again in mid-November of last year. He has been charged with five counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 2nd Degree, two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor - 1st Degree, two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor Under 11 Years of Age. He was also charged with one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 1st Degree by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Due to evidence found during this investigation, detectives strongly believe that underage victims have been involved with William Burgess either online through social media platforms or met locally with child victims in person. If you have information or would like to report an incident, please contact Detective Earl Alewine at 803-358-7262 or ealewine@lexsc.com.
