A West Columbia man was arrested recently on charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor.

William Michael Shuford, 71, was arrested Feb. 1 on five charges that are connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a release from the Attorney General’s Office.

Shuford is charged with one count of attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of second degree exploitation of a minor which is a felony offense that is punishable by up to 10 years for each charge. He was convicted on related charges in 2002, the release adds.

“Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which led them to Shuford. Investigators state Shuford traveled to meet a person he believed to be a minor for sex and distributed files of child sexual abuse material*,” the release states.

According to the release, the arrest was made by Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigators and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, with help from investigators with the Attorney General’s Office and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Texas.

Shuford remains in custody at the Lexington County Detention Center. Per the jail's website, bond was denied on the first degree charge, while cash surety bonds totaling $20,000 were set for the other charges.