Brandon Scott Baker, a former employee at Sea Island Sprouts preschool in Port Royal, faces nine federal sex crime charges after appearing in an Iowa court. The 38-year-old St. Helena Island resident was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity, receipt of child pornography, transportation of child pornography, and four counts of possession of child pornography, per his indictment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The alleged offenses occurred between 2011 and 2018. If convicted, Baker faces a minimum 15-year sentence, with a possible life sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.
Baker was arrested on January 27 on the preschool campus in Port Royal. He also faces state charges in South Carolina for alleged possession and sharing of child sexual abuse material. Public records note his relocation to Beaufort County in June 2024.
Additional allegations from Telluride, Colorado, involve possession of child pornography. Baker had been employed at another preschool there until his detention by law enforcement. After being released from the Beaufort County jail, Homeland Security Investigations arrested him and took him to Iowa, where he is held without bond. His arraignment is set for March 6.
