MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) — A Morehead City man has been arrested and is facing sex crime charges against children.
Peyton Keith Ashton, 19, was arrested on Thursday, according to a media release from the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested by detectives with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the Morehead City Police Department. He was being held at the Carteret County Detention Center under a $75,000 secured bond and had his first court appearance on Friday.
Ashton was charged with two counts of Third-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Possession of Child Abuse Materials), two counts of Second-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Distribution of Materials), and one count of Felony Secret Peeping. Equipment used to facilitate these crimes have been seized.
This was a joint undercover ICAC investigation conducted with the Morehead City Police Department.
