Crime & Public Safety

Former Beaufort High coach hit with charges for sexually explicit images of children

By Evan McKenna

Updated May 21, 2026 11:45 AM

Beaufort High School is located at 84 Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island.

Editor’s note: As of April 2026, the charges against Corbin have been dropped.

A now-former coach for the girl’s varsity golf team at Beaufort High School was arrested Wednesday on charges involving sexually explicit images of children. The accusations prompted the school district to cut ties with the 52-year-old Lady’s Island resident on Tuesday.

James William Corbin turned himself in to police Wednesday morning and was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The felony accusation relates to the production or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or child pornography and is punishable by two to ten years in prison, according to South Carolina law.

The police investigation began January 26, after the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a lead from the S.C. Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force indicating sexually explicit images of minors were sent from an address within the county. Upon corroborating the tip and receiving probable cause, deputies searched Corbin’s home off Barnwell Drive on March 6, securing his arrest warrants six days later, according to a Wednesday morning alert.

Corbin received a stipend for coaching girl’s golf beginning in 2022 but was not employed by the Beaufort County School District as a teacher, spokesperson Candace Bruder confirmed. He had previously volunteered for the boy’s junior varsity soccer team.

The school district removed Corbin from the coaching position Tuesday evening, according to Bruder. Parents of Beaufort High School students received an email Wednesday morning noting officials were aware of the criminal charges and that Corbin was “no longer employed by the BCSD.”

“Although the district is unable to comment on an active law enforcement investigation or personnel matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to school administration if your child is in need of any support,” the statement read.

The arrest marked the third sex crime investigation into staff and coaches from the Beaufort County School District in less than a year.

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The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:

In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims

Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.

This story was originally published March 13, 2024 at 4:00 PM.

Evan McKenna

The Island Packet

Evan is a breaking news reporter for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. A Tennessee native and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he reports on crime and safety across Beaufort and Jasper counties. For tips or story ideas, email emckenna@islandpacket.com or call 843-321-8375.