Easley man sentenced in sexual exploitation of a minor case

EASLEY — A man who was caught with child sexual abuse material — while out on bond for previous child pornography charges — has been sentenced to prison.

Gabriel Hostetler plead guilty on Tuesday to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to reports, in June of 2021, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office was conducting an investigation into the use of a file-sharing network for the distribution and possession of child porn. A special agent found a user that was making files of child sexual abuse material available to share and determined the material was coming from a home in Inman.

Hostetler was arrested and admitted to authorities to using his cell phone to share footage of child sex abuse. Investigators at the time said they had found “multiple images” on his device.

He was arrested and charged with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Fast forward to September 2022, special investigator Kevin Atkins with the Attorney General’s Office was conducting a similar investigation and found child sex abuse material being shared from a home in Easley.

Investigators learned Hostetler was living at the residence with a family member while out on bond for his initial charges. He once again admitted to using his phone for child porn and investigators found more illegal images.

As per his plea agreement, Hostetler was sentenced to six years in prison and given credit for 787 days served in jail. He will be required to register as a sex offender when released, officials said.

Additionally, Hostetler has more charges pending out of Spartanburg County, according to court records.