FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Mooresville man faces 18 felony charges in connection with the possession of child sexual exploitation material following an investigation by the Mooresville Police Department.

The MPD announced the arrest of Jonathan Neubauer-Rivera, 34, in a news release Thursday afternoon.

Mooresville police received information on December 22 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning an individual in Mooresville possibly being involved with the possession and distribution of child pornography.

Based on the information, MPD detectives assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, began an immediate investigation. On December 23, detectives executed a search warrant at a residence located on Butler Drive and seized numerous electronic devices.

MPD detectives conducted forensic examinations of the suspect’s electronic devices, which revealed evidence of the possession and distribution of child pornography, police said.

As a result of the investigation, Neubauer-Rivera was charged with five counts of Second-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and 13 counts of Third-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.

Neubauer-Rivera turned himself in at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in Charlotte on February 21 and placed in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond.

The MPD expressed its appreciation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the NCSBI for their assistance in this case.