Ashley James Crouse, a 53-year-old pastor from Granite Falls, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release 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. Upon his release, Crouse will be required to register as a sex offender.
The announcement was supported by Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Division; Roger “Chip” Hawley, Director of 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.
In April 2023, law enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a Dropbox account that had uploaded videos containing CSAM. The account was traced back to Crouse, who was serving as a pastor at a church in Caldwell County at the time. A search warrant executed on November 3, 2023, led to the seizure of several digital devices from Crouse's office at the church.
Crouse admitted to downloading and collecting child pornography over five to six years and using his church computer to access these materials while performing church duties. Investigations revealed he shared such content via Telegram and used AI software to create pornographic material. Authorities found over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting child sexual abuse on his devices.
Further examination uncovered that Crouse maintained detailed instructions on how to sexually abuse children and had installed software designed to permanently delete files on his church computer.
Crouse pleaded guilty on August 21, 2024, to charges involving possession and receipt of child pornography featuring minors under 12 years old. He remains in federal custody awaiting transfer to a designated federal facility.
Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron praised the efforts of the FBI, SBI, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, and Hickory Police Department in their investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimlani Ford prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local levels.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
