In the six months since the Greenville County Sheriff's Office's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit was established, the department has served 143 warrants and made 21 arrests of 17 people, including one arrest that led to the uncovering of one of the largest caches of child pornography in South Carolina history, Sheriff Will Lewis said Monday.

Lewis said the cases investigated involved male and female victims ages 2 to 18. One case in particular involved a toddler being forced to perform sexual acts on a dog, he said after announcing the arrests.

The following people were charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, according to warrants:

Jonathan Kevin Capps, 42, of Travelers Rest; Thomas Stallard, 67, of Mauldin;.Bret Patrick Mcjunkin, 25, of Greenville; Anthony Shacquille Irby, 24, of Simpsonville; Samuel Lewis Hargave, 23, of Taylors; Willis Steve Ramey Jr., 29, of Travelers Rest; Frederick Eugene Wall Jr., 54, of Simpsonville; Keith Davis Cook, 37, of Greer; Robert B Thomas, 66, of Fountain Inn; Clayton Moore Johnson, 37, of Greer; Philip Walter Beamish, 73, of Travelers Rest; Kyle J. Moscaritolo, 34, of Greer; Timothy Eugene Guthrie, 50, of Marietta; Ray Thomas Motte Jr., 61, of Simpsonville; Christopher James Embry, 38, of Marietta; Brett Channing Wilson, 22, of Greenville; and Matthew Bryan Barry Smith, 33, of Taylors.

According to Lewis, ICAC was established Jan. 3 and has five investigators to the unit. The unit works alongside the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and the Department of Homeland Security to solve cases of crimes against children.

"Greenville is not immune to this problem," Lewis said, adding that the issue of crimes against children transcends cultures, races and backgrounds.

Lewis said the department had a backlog of 60 cases when he took office in January. Lewis's goal is to become the state's lead agency on child exploitation cases. The sheriff also wants to increase manpower and establish a recurring budget for the ICAC unit.

"The goal is to make so many cases that people can not turn their heads," Lewis said. "Political officials, appointed officials can no longer turn their heads from this and say 'this is not a problem.'"

For those considering watching or distributing child pornography, Lewis strongly cautions them to reconsider. "We'll give you 25 years to think about it," he said. "We'll give you somewhere between 25 years and life to think about whether that was a good route."

Lewis also shared a personal story during the news conference Monday. He said he was arriving on the scene where a warrant had been served one day and found two deputies talking outside. The sheriff said he thanked the officers for their hard work and asked them how they were doing. One responded: "I'll never get those images out of my head," Lewis said.

Lewis said these are images and details no one should ever have to see. Deputies who work in the ICAC unit put their personal mental health aside to protect children and get offenders off the streets, he said.

Lewis said the Sheriff's Office is working to develop a program that will provide long term psychological support for the deputies who respond to cases like this.

As for what parents can do to protect their children, Lewis, a father of two teenage daughters, recommends checking into everyone who deals with children — from nannies to family members and more.

"I highly recommend you be a parent," Lewis said. "I highly recommend that you not be your child's friend. Be a parent."

Anyone who believes they may be or have been a victim of sexual abuse or a witness to abuse is encouraged to call 23-CRIME.

Staff writer Anna Lee contributed.