On March 30, 2023, Detectives with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and the Morehead City Police Department arrested Peyton Keith Ashton, 19, of Morehead City, NC.
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 were seized. This was a joint undercover ICAC investigation conducted with the Morehead City Police Department.
Ashton is currently being held in the Carteret County Detention Center under a $75K secured bond and is scheduled for an initial appearance in court today.
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