Gaston County teacher charged with sex offenses

A Gaston County teacher was arrested and accused of possession of child sexual abuse material.

Kristopher Kirtley, 50, of Stanley, a business education teacher and wrestling coach at South Point High School, was accused of having child sexual abuse material interaction and "distributing obscene material," Detective Ashley Swim of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said.

He was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor, two counts of first-degree exploitation of a minor, two counts of employing or permitting a minor to assist in obscenity offenses, creating obscenity with intent to distribute, and third-degree exploitation of a minor. The offenses are alleged to have occurred June 16 through June 19 of 2024. bond was set at $500,000.

Gaston County Schools could not be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County teacher charged with sex offenses