Waterloo man arrested, charged with child sex crimes

Thomas Rytter

A Waterloo man is in custody at the Laurens County Detention Center and facing charges relating to possession and distributing child sexual abuse material.

Thomas Nicholas Rytter, 27, was arrested Friday (Sept. 19) on four felony charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

According to a release from the South Carolina Attorney General’s office, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, both also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted with the investigation.

Investigators said they received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Rytter.

Rytter was arrested on Sept. 19. He is charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The case will be prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office.