Port Royal man accused of sharing child pornography found dead
A Port Royal man arrested Tuesday for allegedly sharing pictures of children engaged in sexual acts was found dead in his home Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Beaufort County officials.
John Joseph Charette Sr., 67, was pronounced dead at the scene at about 9:15 a.m., according to county Deputy Coroner David Ott.
There were no signs of foul play, according to Port Royal police Lt. Andre Massey.
Charette was charged Tuesday with one second-degree count and two third-degree counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office incident report. He was released at about 11 a.m. Wednesday on $20,000 cash bond, according to Beaufort County Detention Center records.
Port Royal police were called to Charette's Edinburgh Avenue residence early Thursday after receiving a report of a possible suicide, Massey said.
Ott said the cause of death and other details would not be released until after an autopsy Friday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
On Oct. 27, investigators were informed by an agent with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that a computer associated with an account at Charette's home had uploaded suspected child pornography to an online file-sharing program, according to the report.
Authorities searched the home Tuesday, and deputies found the file, similar images and five videos on a computer in Charette's home, according to the report. A photo album and other papers also were seized.
Massey said Port Royal police did not have a history of prior calls to the home. Charette formerly operated AutoOne Service Center on Lady's Island, according to former employees and garage contact information. The shop closed in June, but he could not be reached for comment at the time.
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin.
Related content:
- Port Royal man accused of sharing child pornography, Dec. 2, 2014
This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Port Royal man accused of sharing child pornography found dead."