Convicted SC sex offender sent child porn using Kik messenger, York County cops say

Andrew Dys
·2 min read

A South Carolina sex offender with past child-pornography convictions has been arrested again for sending illegal porn over the Internet, according to police and court records.

Joseph Douglas Stoeckel, 35, of Fort Mill, was charged Tuesday by York County sheriff’s deputies with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of minors, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald.

Stoeckel used the Kik messenger service to share illegal child porn videos of children as young as 6 years old, the warrants state.

Stoeckel was charged after an investigation by the sheriff’s office cyber crimes unit, which works with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

Records: Suspect convicted of child porn in 2018

Stoeckel pleaded guilty in 2018 to four counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of minors for possession of child porn materials, South Carolina court records show. He was sentenced to three years probation in those 2018 convictions, with a five-year prison sentence suspended upon service of the probation, court records show.

The S.C. Sex Offender Registry website maintained by the State Law Enforcement Division shows Stoeckel is a registered sex offender from the 2018 convictions. The public website lets South Carolina residents search registered and convicted sex offenders by address or name.

All convicted sex offenders in South Carolina must register with the county sheriff’s office where they live. The website posts a picture of the sex offender, as well as the person’s address and convictions.

Stoeckel could face as much as 100 years in prison for the new arrests, South Carolina law shows.

The new charges against Stoeckel for second-degree sexual exploitation allege illegal videos and photos were shared online, according to the warrants. A conviction for second-degree sexual exploitation of minors carries up to 10 years in the S.C. Department of Corrections for each charge, state law shows.

Stoeckel remains in the York County jail.