Anderson County Sheriff's Office // Courtesy
Jeffery Townsend, a professor of sports management at Clemson, was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
On April 16, a Clemson professor was arrested and facing charges for possession and distribution of child pornography.
Jeffery Douglas Townsend, a 46-year-old sports management professor at Clemson and a coach for a youth sports team, has been charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
“The Clemson University Police Department participated in a joint investigation with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office that resulted in criminal charges filed against an employee,” University spokesperson Joe Galbraith told WYFF News. “The investigation remains active at this time and the employee has been suspended without pay.”
The investigation was initiated after a tip was placed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February of this year, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Townsend is currently held in the Pickens County Detention Center and will appear in front of a judge before his transfer to Anderson and further prosecution.
Townsend has been connected “to more than 20 uploads of child pornography starting in November 2024,” according to WYFF News.
Townsend holds a master’s degree in recreation, sport, and tourism from the University of Illinois, according to a 2019 Clemson News article welcoming Townsend and other new faculty members to the University.
Prior to his employment at Clemson, he previously worked in the athletic departments of both Brigham Young University and the University of Mississippi.
He has also worked as an accessibility specialist for the National Center on Accessibility, which focuses on improving access for the disabled in public parks, according to Clemson News.
Townsend was also a major proponent of Clemson’s adaptive sports programs, helping to develop the first wheelchair tennis team for the University.