Taylorsville Man Charged With Selling, Distributing Obscene Material

26-year old Dustin Malachi Jernigan of Taylorsville was taken into custody on Monday by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office. Jernigan is charged with sell/distribute obscene material, failure to notify law enforcement of address change as a sex offender, and failure to register as a sex offender.

This arrest stems from an investigation that originated in January with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Jernigan was using an unregistered email address and a social media account to send child pornography via the Internet.

Jernigan has been placed in the Alexander County Detention Center with a secured bond of $200,000. A District Court date is scheduled for May 17th in Alexander County District Court.

According to the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, Jernigan was convicted in 2019 of sexual battery. Records indicate the victim of the sexual battery was 8 years old.

The investigation is ongoing with additional charges expected

Photo: Alexander County Sheriff’s Office