FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Statesville man who recently served time in federal prison after being convicted of cyberstalking faces news charges following an investigation by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Charles Timothy Browne, 61, of Cambridge Place, Statesville in a news release on Wednesday.

The ICSO began an investigation on March 23 after receiving a report concerning a juvenile who had been receiving sexually explicit text messages from an adult male, who was later identified as Browne, the sheriff said.

The case was assigned to Detective C. James with the ICSO Special Victims Unit.

During the investigation, Detective James obtained evidence indicating that Browne had sexually assaulted the juvenile within the past year, according to the news release.

Based on evidence gathered through this investigation, Detective James obtained felony arrest warrants charging Browne with two counts of felony indecent liberties with a child and felony statutory sex offense against a child.

ICSO deputies located and arrested Browne on Tuesday, April 23. He was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center, where Magistrate Chambers a $50,000 secured bond on the indecent liberties charge. Browne was ordered held without bond on the statutory sex offense charge.

Browne was sentenced to 43 months in federal prison in 2019 for cyberstalking. In that case, Browne sent more than 700 harassing and intimidating text messages to a female victim. In the messages he talked about a weapon he owned, encouraged the victim to keep her doors locked, and told her that she would feel pain, Campbell said.