NC Pastor Gets Ten Years On Child Porn Charges

Charlotte’s Queen City News reports:

A former Caldwell County pastor was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after being convicted for possessing child pornography. According to court documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in April 2023, law enforcement identified a Dropbox account belonging to 53-year-old Ashley Crouse, then a pastor at a church in Caldwell County, had videos containing child sexual abuse material.

A forensic examination of his church computer and other devices revealed that Crouse shared the child pornography and that he had used AI and a software program to make child pornography. In total, Crouse was accused of possessing more than 1,200 videos and 450 images. Also on the church computer, the investigation revealed that Crouse maintained a book that outlines in detail how to sexually abuse children.

Read the full article. My 2023 report on his arrest is here.