Statesville man charged with 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor

STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A local man is facing charges following a child sex exploitation investigation that was launched over a cyber tip, Statesville Police announced.

Investigators received a tip in January from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation regarding an individual who had uploaded child sex exploitation material last October.

Detectives identified William Powell as the suspect and he was arrested at his home on E. End Ave. in Statesville on Thursday, Feb. 1, according to the police report.

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During a search of his home several external digital media storage devices were discovered, each containing numerous files of child sexual exploitation material, police said.

Powell has been charged with 12 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Powell is in custody at the Iredell County Detention Center being held under a $250,000 bond.

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