On March 28, 2022, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office received a report about possible child pornography being uploaded from an IP address in the northeastern part of Alexander County. The tip was received from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce.
Charles Henson Gates
On May 5th, a search warrant was executed by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Taylorsville Police Department at Gates’ residence. Several electronic devices were seized. Gates was interviewed by detectives with the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Gates was charged and placed under arrest following his interview.
Gates was charged with 50 counts of Felony Second Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and 1 count of Felony First Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Gates is being held under a $2,500,000 secured bond with a first appearance date of Monday, May 9, 2022 in Alexander County District Court.
This investigation is continuing.
The Sheriff’s Office currently has three detectives that are members of the ICAC Taskforce.
Sheriff Bowman stated “This office has had members on the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce for approximately 14 years. The tips received have assisted our office in numerous arrests for crimes against children. It has always been and will continue to be a priority of this office to keep children in Alexander County safe.”
Photo: Alexander County Sheriff’s Office
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