Pastor charged after authorities find child porn on church computer

WE HAVE A LOOK AT TODAY’S TOP NEWS STORIES. YOUR TRAFFIC AND YOUR WEATHER ALL BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THE DOOR THIS MORNING. THAT’S RIGHT. RIGHT NOW WE ARE STARTING WITH NEW CRIME SCENE DETAILS IN THE CANEBREAK MURDER TRIAL. ISABELLE MARAK IS LIVE AT THE GREENVILLE COUNTY COURTHOUSE WITH THE LATEST ISABELLE. HEY, AARON AND DESTINY. DAY THREE STARTED WITH NEW CRIME SCENE PHOTOS. THEN THE COURTROOM HEARD FROM THE VICTIM’S SISTER, AS WELL AS INVESTIGATORS SHOWING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ZACHARY HUGHES AND JOHN MELO. AND MELO. IS CHRISTINA PARCELLS CHILD’S FATHER? NOW, TINA PARCELL IS THE OLDEST SISTER OF CHRISTINA, AND SHE DOCUMENTED A YEARS LONG CUSTODY DISPUTE BETWEEN HER SISTER AND JOHN MELO. SHE SAYS MELO TOOK HER NIECE TO ITALY IN OCTOBER 2020, AND THE NIECE WAS NOT RETURNED UNTIL APRIL 2021, IGNITING A CUSTODY DISPUTE. SOLICITOR WALT WILKINS SAYS HUGHES KNEW MELO AND INSERTED HIMSELF INTO THE CUSTODY BATTLE. MASTER DEPUTY BLAKE WOLFE TESTIFIED HUGHES TRUCK WAS SPOTTED ON CAMERA AT RUTHERFORD AND BUNCOMBE STREETS HOURS AFTER PARCELL’S DEATH, WITH A BLACK BICYCLE IN THE BED WHILE EXECUTING A SEARCH WARRANT AT HUGHES HOME, WOLFE SAYS INVESTIGATORS FOUND A BLACK BICYCLE IN THE GARAGE OF THE HOME. NOW, THE TRIAL RESUMES AT 9:30 A.M. THIS MORNING, BUT FOR NOW, REPORTING LIVE IN GREENVILLE, ISABELLE MARAK. WYFF NEWS FOUR. WELL, HEALTH LEADERS ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM ON THE RISE IN FLU CASES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE STATE DHHS SAYS A SECOND CHILD HAS DIED FROM THE VIRUS. BOTH CHILDREN WERE BETWEEN 5 AND 17 YEARS OLD AND LIVED IN THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL PARTS OF THE STATE. LOCAL DOCTORS SAY IT’S BEEN NONSTOP TRAFFIC OF SICK CHILDREN THIS FLU SEASON. THE KIDS THAT HAVEN’T HAD THEIR VACCINE ARE JUST SEEMING TO FEEL MUCH WORSE, AND THEIR SYMPTOMS ARE ARE WORSE. THEIR THEIR FEVER, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE HAVING HIGHER FEVER. THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO BE THE ONES THAT ARE COMING TO CLINIC. THE THINGS THAT REALLY WORRY US ARE IF A KID IS HAVING LOTS OF RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS WITH THE FLU. MEANING? MEANING TROUBLE BREATHING. INABILITY TO DRINK BECAUSE THEY FEEL SO POOR. BECAUSE STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY SO FAR THIS SEASON, 173 PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM FLU IN NORTH CAROLINA. NATIONALLY, THIS IS THE WORST FLU SEASON IN 15 YEARS. THE FIRST INFLATION REPORT OF DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY IS OUT, AND THE NUMBERS AREN’T GOOD. THE DATA FROM THE LABOR DEPARTMENT SHOW INFLATION INCREASED TO 3% LAST MONTH. THAT’S THE HIGHEST IT’S BEEN SINCE JUNE OF 2024. THAT WAS INFLATION NUMBERS FROM JANUARY. SO PARTLY IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, PARTLY IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. ECONOMISTS WORRY THAT THE PRESIDENT’S PROPOSED TARIFFS, IF ENACTED, WILL MAKE THE COST OF GOODS AND GROCERIES SOAR EVEN HIGHER. THE HEARST TELEVISION DATA TEAM IS LOOKING AT MONTH TO MONTH CHANGES IN FOOD COSTS IN JANUARY. THE PRICE OF EGGS SPIKED 15%, WHICH IS THE LARGEST INCREASE EGG SAW SINCE JUNE OF 2015. OTHER FOOD ITEMS THAT ALSO ROSE IN JANUARY WERE FROZEN. NON-CARBONATED JUICES AND DRINKS, INSTANT COFFEE, BACON AND MARGARINE. NOT ALL FOOD ITEMS SAW INCREASES IN THE DATA, THOUGH. IN FACT, BREAD WAS 1% LESS EXPENSIVE, AND THE PRICE OF TOMATOES DECLINED 2%. RIGHT NOW IN CLEMSON, THE TOP LEVEL OF THE KEITH STREET GARAGE IS UNDERGOING MAINTENANCE WORK. THE PROJECT, WHICH WILL PROGRESS DOWNWARDS LEVEL BY LEVEL, IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ABOUT A MONTH TO COMPLETE. OFFICIALS SAY THESE REPAIRS ARE CRITICAL FOR PRESERVING THE LONG TERM USABILITY OF THE GARAGE. DURING THIS PERIOD, ACCESS TO GARAGE LEVELS UNDER ACTIVE MAINTENANCE WILL BE RESTRICTED TO CONSTRUCTION CREWS. 648 NOW, IF YOU HAVE URGENT ONLINE BUSINESS TO HANDLE WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, YOU WANT TO GET THAT DONE BEFORE SATURDAY BECAUSE THERE’S A PLANNED OUTAGE BEING HANDLED BY THE STATE’S I.T. DEPARTMENT. THE OUTAGE WILL IMPACT MULTIPLE STATE AGENCIES, INCLUDING ONLINE SERVICES OFFERED BY THE DMV. SELF-SERVICE KIOSKS, WHICH ARE LOCATED IN A HANDFUL OF GROCERY STORES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA, WILL ALSO BE OFFLINE. THAT OUTAGE WILL BEGIN AT MIDNIGHT AND WILL LAST UNTIL ABOUT 7 P.M. SATURDAY. NC DMV OFFICIALS APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. NEW THIS MORNING, NISSAN AND HONDA WILL NOT MERGE. THE CAR COMPANIES FIRST MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN DECEMBER. THE DEAL WOULD HAVE CREATED THE WORLD’S THIRD LARGEST AUTOMAKER. BOTH COMPANIES WANTED TO STRENGTHEN THEIR POSITIONS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES AGAINST CHINESE COMPETITORS. NISSAN SAYS IT WILL COLLABORATE WITH HONDA IN A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP INSTEAD, BUT NISSAN HAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF DEBT DUE NEXT YEAR, AND SOME INVESTORS FEAR IT COULD FACE BANKRUPTCY. WE’RE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING. SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN MUNICH, GERMANY, AFTER A CAR CRASHED INTO A UNION DEMONSTRATION. POLICE SAY THE DRIVER IS IN CUSTODY AND THEY HAVE NOT SAID WHETHER THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT OR A DELIBERATE ATTACK. THE CRASH HAPPENED A DAY BEFORE THE OPENING OF THE MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE, WHICH IS BEING HELD LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE CRASH SITE. AMONG THOSE ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE IS VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE, WHO IS CURRENTLY IN GERMANY. AND A LIVE LOOK AT THAT HILTON GREENVILLE SKYCAM. LUCKILY, THE RAIN STARTING TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE ROADS ARE STILL A LITTLE SLICK, SO GIVE YOURSELF A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA TIME THIS MORNING AS YOU HEAD OUT AND ABOUT. HERE’S WHERE THE RAIN IS RIGHT NOW. STILL HANGING ON DOWN TOWARDS LAURENS COUNTY. GREENWOOD, ABBEVILLE COUNTIES. YOU’RE STILL GETTING A BIT OF LIGHT RAIN, BUT FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF US IT IS ON THE WAY OUT AND IT WILL BE MUCH NICER BY THE TIME WE GET TO THIS AFTERNOON. STILL COLD OUTSIDE THOUGH. TEMPERATURES UPPER 30S ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UPSTATE TOWARDS LAURENS. SPARTANBURG 37 THERE, 39 IN GREENVILLE, RIGHT AT 40 IN CLEMSON AND ANDERSON, AND PRETTY CHILLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AS WELL. BUT TEMPERATURES WARM UP. SHOULD BE A PRETTY NICE AFTERNOON. A LITTLE BIT OF A BREEZE OUT OF THE WEST NORTHWEST AT TEN MILES PER HOUR. UPPER 50S BY THE TIME WE GET TO, WELL, MID TO UPPER 50S BY NOON TO ONE, AND THEN BY THE TIME WE GET TO THIS AFTERNOON, SHOULD BE CLOSER TO THE LOW TO MID 60S FOR THOSE DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE UPSTATE FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, A LITTLE CHILLIER AND A LITTLE WINDIER. WINDS UP TO AROUND 15MPH FOR MOST OF US, WITH HIGHS TODAY IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT YOUR FOUR-DAY PLUS ONE FINAL TIME BEFORE WE GO. COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. GRIFFIN. THANK YOU. WE DO WANT TO GET A CHECK ON THE ROADS HERE AT 650. THE FIRST THING WE’RE FOLLOWING IS THIS CRASH ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THIS IS AN SCDOT CAMERA. IT’S 85 NEAR HIGHWAY 101, CAUSING SOME SLIGHT TRAFFIC BACKUPS THERE. SO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS IF YOU’RE TRAVELING. I 85 SOUTH NEAR HIGHWAY 101. AND SPEAKING OF THE SLOWDOWNS, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR LIVE DRIVE. RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN SEE THAT RIGHT NOW. NEAR THAT ACTUAL CRASH IS I-85 NEAR HIGHWAY 14. THE SLOWDOWNS AARON JUST TALKED ABOUT, WE ARE WITNESSING THAT AS WELL AS THE RAIN COMING DOWN. MAKE SURE YOUR WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE ON AND YOU ALLOW YOURSELF SOME EXTRA TIME TO HEAD OUT THE DOOR THIS MORNING. IF YOU’RE HEADED IN THIS DIRECTION, TRAVEL TIMES LOOK GREAT. I-240 TO ASHEVILLE HIGHWAY 12 MINUTES. AIRPORT ON WOODRUFF ROAD 11 MINUTES AND FAIRVIEW ROAD TO DOWNTOWN. 13 PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED IN NEW YORK CITY GETTING READY FOR SUNDAY’S SNL 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL. AND IT’S NOT JUST THE WRITERS, THE CAST MEMBERS AND THE CELEBRITY GUESTS PREPARING, EITHER. IT’S ALSO THE SHOW’S UNSUNG HEROES THE CUE CARD TEAM, NBC’S MARK BARGER REPORTS THE QUARANTINE COUGARS. I GOT NO CUE CARDS, MAN. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? WAY BACK IN 1982, HOST MICHAEL KEATON FEIGNED A FREAK OUT THAT SNL MIGHT NOT HAVE ITS TRUSTY CUE CARDS, SOMETHING THE SHOW HAS TWEAKED ITSELF ABOUT. I KNOW IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT I’M READING A CUE CARD RIGHT NOW. BUT EVEN AS SNL HAS EVOLVED INTO THE DIGITAL ERA, THIS REMNANT OF TV’S EARLIEST DAYS REMAINS ESSENTIAL. THE SHOW WOULD TRULY NOT BE ABLE TO RUN WITHOUT THEM. THAT’S BECAUSE SKETCHES ARE CONSTANTLY BEING REVISED, EVEN WHILE THE SHOW’S ON AIR. MAKE THOSE CHANGES FAST. MAKE THEM ACCURATE, AND SWAP THEM OUT AND KEEP THEM ALL IN ORDER. I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY DO IT. WALLY FERESTEN KNOWS IT’S ALL ABOUT SPACING. HE’S BEEN DOING IT FOR 35 YEARS. WALLY, LOWER THE CARDS. HE LEADS A TEAM OF TEN WHO WRITE, KEEP TRACK OF AND UPDATE ROUGHLY 1000 CUE CARDS PER EPISODE. THE HOST FOR SNL EACH WEEK IS IN BLACK. THEY’RE THE ONLY ONE THAT’S IN BLACK, SO THEY KNOW THEIR LINES STAND OUT, AND THEN THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS SHARE RED, BLUE, GREEN, AND BROWN. FERESTEN’S BRACED FOR SUNDAY’S SNL 50 SPECIAL THAT COULD HAVE AS MANY AS 2500 CUE CARDS, REQUIRING FIVE EXTRA STAFFERS TO MANAGE THEM. I’M EXCITED. I’M I’M I’M NERVOUS JUST BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK IT IS. BUT IT’S SPECIAL. IT REALLY IS SPECIAL AND SPECIAL FOR ME TO SAY. ALMOST LIVE FROM NEW YORK. IT’S MARK BARGE

North Carolina pastor charged after authorities find child porn on church computer, officials say

Updated: 4:27 PM EST Feb 13, 2025

A North Carolina pastor has been sentenced to prison after he was caught possessing child pornography.According to court documents, in April 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) tipped off law enforcement that a Dropbox account user had uploaded videos containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement determined that the Dropbox user was 53-year-old Ashley James Crouse, who was a pastor at a church in Caldwell County.More News: 17-year-old with gun arrested at Greenville Learning Center for sexual conduct off campusOn Nov. 3, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Crouse’s home in Granite Falls and the church. From Crouse’s office at the church, detectives seized a computer tower, an iPad, and two thumb drives.Crouse admitted to law enforcement officers that he had been downloading and collecting child pornography for five to six years and that he viewed the material at the church while multi-tasking and completing church business. The investigation determined that Crouse routinely used his computer at the church to access, view, and download child pornography. A forensic examination of Crouse’s church computer and other digital devices revealed that Crouse shared child pornography and links to child pornography through the Telegram application and that he had used AI and a software program to make child and other pornography.More News: Wanted suspect in deadly Upstate hit-and-run captured in GeorgiaOfficials said Crouse possessed over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.Also on the church computer, investigators found that Crouse maintained a book that outlines in detail how to sexually abuse children. The forensic examiner further found evidence that Crouse had installed an anti-forensic software program on his church computer which he used to permanently delete files and folders. On Aug. 21, 2024, Crouse pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography that involved a minor under the age of 12, and receipt of child pornography.More News: Dogs quarantined after rabid skunk found in the UpstateOn Thursday, Crouse was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced.Crouse was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

GRANITE FALLS, N.C. —

A North Carolina pastor has been sentenced to prison after he was caught possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, in April 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) tipped off law enforcement that a Dropbox account user had uploaded videos containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement determined that the Dropbox user was 53-year-old Ashley James Crouse, who was a pastor at a church in Caldwell County.

More News: 17-year-old with gun arrested at Greenville Learning Center for sexual conduct off campus

On Nov. 3, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Crouse’s home in Granite Falls and the church. From Crouse’s office at the church, detectives seized a computer tower, an iPad, and two thumb drives.

Crouse admitted to law enforcement officers that he had been downloading and collecting child pornography for five to six years and that he viewed the material at the church while multi-tasking and completing church business.

The investigation determined that Crouse routinely used his computer at the church to access, view, and download child pornography. A forensic examination of Crouse’s church computer and other digital devices revealed that Crouse shared child pornography and links to child pornography through the Telegram application and that he had used AI and a software program to make child and other pornography.

More News: Wanted suspect in deadly Upstate hit-and-run captured in Georgia

Officials said Crouse possessed over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Also on the church computer, investigators found that Crouse maintained a book that outlines in detail how to sexually abuse children. The forensic examiner further found evidence that Crouse had installed an anti-forensic software program on his church computer which he used to permanently delete files and folders.

On Aug. 21, 2024, Crouse pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography that involved a minor under the age of 12, and receipt of child pornography.

More News: Dogs quarantined after rabid skunk found in the Upstate

On Thursday, Crouse was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced.

Crouse was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.