WMBF News reports that ROBESON COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - A 26-year-old Robeson County man will spend more than two decades in prison.
Zackary Helsel pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material on March 12.
Investigators say Helsel repeatedly sexually abused a 12-year-old girl between February and May 2025.
According to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, he recorded at least some of the abuse on his cell phone and used the content to blackmail his victim.
Deputies executed a search warrant and found the video on Helsel’s cell phone.
A judge sentenced Helsel to 25 years in prison.