Ashley James Crouse, a 53-year-old pastor from Granite Falls, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This was announced by Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to his prison sentence, Crouse will face a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender upon his release.
The announcement was supported by Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI's Charlotte Division, Roger “Chip” Hawley from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff Alan C. Jones of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, and Chief Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department.
According to court documents and details from the sentencing hearing, law enforcement received a tip in April 2023 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about CSAM being uploaded to Dropbox by an account linked to Crouse. At that time, he served as a pastor at a church in Caldwell County.
A search warrant executed on November 3, 2023, led officers to seize various digital devices from Crouse’s residence and church office. During questioning by law enforcement officers, Crouse admitted he had been involved with child pornography for five to six years and had accessed CSAM at his church while performing other duties.
Investigations revealed that Crouse used his church computer not only to access but also share CSAM through applications like Telegram. Additionally, forensic examinations uncovered over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting child sexual abuse on his devices. Evidence showed that he used software programs for creating pornographic content involving children.
Further investigation found that Crouse maintained documentation detailing methods of sexually abusing children on his church computer. Anti-forensic software was also discovered which he reportedly used to permanently delete incriminating files.
Crouse pleaded guilty on August 21, 2024, admitting possession of child pornography involving minors under age twelve and receipt thereof. He remains in federal custody pending transfer to a designated federal facility managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron praised multiple agencies including the FBI and local law enforcement for their roles in investigating this case which is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative against child sexual exploitation initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimlani Ford prosecuted this case as part of efforts coordinated under Project Safe Childhood aimed at prosecuting individuals exploiting children online while identifying victims needing rescue or assistance.
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