Clemson Professor Suspended, Scrubbed From Website Following Child Porn Arrest

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A professor at Clemson University has been suspended – and his profile scrubbed from the school’s website – following an arrest this week on multiple charges of criminal sexual exploitation of minors.

Jeffrey Douglas Townsend, 46, of Anderson County, South Carolina was charged with ten counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, per the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). According to the agency, its criminal investigations division “began looking into the case back in February.” At that time, a digital tip came through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Based on this tip, investigators determined Townsend had used an app to “access a chatroom, where evidence shows thousands of lines of communication pertaining to inappropriate material revolving around children,” a statement noted.

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Investigators subsequently “uncovered and connected Townsend to more than 20 uploads of child pornography starting in November 2024.” Child pornography is also known as child sexual abuse material, or “CSAM.”

Townsend was arrested by ACSO deputies and officers of the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) on Wednesday (April 16, 2025). He was subsequently suspended without pay while his online profile was promptly scrubbed from the Clemson website.

“The Clemson University Police Department participated in a joint investigation with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office that resulted in criminal charges filed against an employee,” the school said in a statement. “The investigation remains active at this time and the employee has been suspended without pay.”

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A professor at Clemson’s college of behavioral, social and health sciences, Townsend taught advanced program planning, trends in sport management, introduction to community recreation, introduction to sport management and other courses. He received his undergraduate degree and his master’s from the University of Illinois.

“Townsend has more than twenty five years of experience in adapted sport and recreation,” his since-scrubbed bio noted. “During that time he has had the opportunity to travel all over the United States and the World playing and coaching younger players, including camps in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and El Salvador.”

His wife, Jasmine Townsend, is also a faculty member at Clemson.

Townsend, a former professional wheelchair basketball player, focused his research at Clemson on the “social integration of individuals with a disability into society through sports and recreation as well as accessibility for individuals with a physical disability.”

“It’s important to implement because where there are opportunities for sports, there should be opportunities for everyone to get involved,” Townsend said in a 2020 article published by the university. “Clemson leads the way in athletics in many ways, and it could be one of those programs leading the way in collegiate adaptive sports.”

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Townsend was booked at the Pickens County detention center on Wednesday – and subsequently booked at the Anderson County detention center. His case will be prosecuted by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson.

As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Townsend is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.

Count on FITSNews to provide our audience with any pertinent updates regarding the status of the investigation and the disposition of these charges against Townsend…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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