FROM STAFF REPORTS
A 70-year-old man faces 10 child sexual exploitation charges following an investigation by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Paul Howard Beha of Sierra Woods Drive, Troutman, in a news release Tuesday.
The ICSO received a cybertip in February containing information that an individual had downloaded multiple files containing suspected child sexual abuse material, Campbell said.
The investigation was assigned to Detective E. Lane with the ICSO Special Victim’s Unit. Detective Lane obtained a search warrant for a social media account and obtained additional files containing child sexual abuse material and the account owner’s information, according to the news release.
On Thursday, June 20, ICSO SVU detectives executed a search warrant at Beha’s home, which is south of Troutman, the sheriff said.
The search located additional electronic devices and computer hardware, which were seized by the investigators.
Deputy B. Padgett arrested Beha at the residence and charged him with 10 counts of felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Beha was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center. He appeared before Magistrate M. Nethken, who issued a $50,000 secured bond on these charges.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed, Campbell said.
He should never have a bond. He has changed the lives of many children and their families. It is time for the judicial system to keep these people in jail and prison. A child’s life will never be the same. God Bless these children.