Lexington Man Accused of Taking Photos of Wagener Teen | Aiken Area Public Safety & Court News

A Lexington man has been arrested after allegedly installing a camera in a teenage girl’s bathroom at a Wagener home.

Aiken County sheriff’s deputies arrested Anthony Joseph Silva, 54, on August 27.

A Wagener resident told officers on July 15 that Silva had been allowed to stay with him for the past three months. The Wagener resident added that he had recently found a wireless camera disguised as a charger in the bathroom used by a teenage girl.

Deputy Rod Burks said he found a black cube in the bathroom with a “C” charging cord attached to it.

“The lens of the device was focused on the bathtub,” Burks continued.

Burks said he confiscated the device and Silva’s phone.

Silva has been charged with 20 counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 10 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree is a crime punishable by three to twenty years in prison. No part of the three years may be suspended and a convicted person is not eligible for parole until after three years.

Sexual exploitation of minors in the third degree is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Silva remains in the Aiken County Detention Center as of 11 a.m. on August 28.

No further hearings have been scheduled.