Crime Registered Sex Offender Living in S.C. Found with More than 20K Files of Child Sexual Abuse Material Robert Earl Turner was convicted in 1999 for lewd act involving a child under the age of 14 By Chris Harris Chris Harris Twitter Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. An award-winning journalist who has worked for Rolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 10, 2022 02:15 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE A registered sex offender living in South Carolina has been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of minors, PEOPLE confirmed. A statement from South Carolina's Attorney General confirms that on Monday, Robert Earl Turner, 61, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Police started looking into Turner on April 5, 2018, after "investigators with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office began investigating a report that a user had uploaded four files of Child Sexual Abuse Material using an internet program." Detectives traced the account "back to Turner's residence in Anderson County," according to the statement. When officers went to talk to him, "Turner admitted to investigators they would find illegal files on his devices," the statement adds. Turner was already a registered sex offender in the state following a 1999 conviction for lewd act involving a child under the age of 14. "A forensic examination of seized devices revealed over 3,500 files of Child Sexual Abuse Material," officials said in the statement. While he was out on bond, another report came in about Turner, according to police. On April 23, 2020, reports of another user uploading illicit images were received by investigators. "The investigation revealed the phone number associated with the user belonged to an account holder who lived in Anderson County," officials said. "Turner was found living in a camper behind the home. A forensic examination of additional seized devices found over 19,600 files" of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Turner was sentenced to concurrent terms of nine years in prison, with credit for 707 days served. He has been forced to turn over all of his electronic devices.