A former North Carolina pastor has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material. Ashley Crouse, formerly of New Vision Baptist Church in Granite Falls, was arrested in November 2023 after law enforcement discovered that he had uploaded videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to a Dropbox account.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Following his prison term, Crouse will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In August 2024, Crouse pleaded guilty to possession of CSAM that involved a minor under the age of 12 and receipt of CSAM.
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Law enforcement began investigating Crouse in 2023 after Dropbox alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one of its users possessed CSAM. The tip included Crouse’s name, email address, and several IP addresses.
Investigators found thousands of videos and images depicting child sex abuse on Crouse’s devices, and Crouse admitted to law enforcement that he would view the material while working in the church office.
Law enforcement discovered one video downloaded to Crouse’s church office computer showing an 11-year-old girl participating in sexual acts with two different men. This video was accessed while logged into the “pastor” account.
According to a statement released by the district attorney’s office, investigators also found that Crouse maintained a book detailing how to sexually abuse children and used anti-forensic software to delete files.
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Investigators said that others at the church reported that Crouse had been locking his office door whenever he left it, even if just to use the restroom. They said that they had not seen the inside of his office in months.
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