FROM STAFF REPORTS

A Statesville man is jailed on charges he possession child exploitation material following an investigation by the Statesville Police Department.

The SPD announced the arrest of William Curtis Powell, 53, of East End Avenue, Statesville, in a news release on Friday.

SPD investigators initiated an investigation on January 24 after receiving information from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation that an individual — identified as Powell — had uploaded child sexual exploitation material on October 13, 2023, police said.

On Thursday, SPD personnel and SBI agents executed a search warrant at Powell’s residence, according to the news release.

During the search, investigators seized several external digital media storage devices that contained numerous files of child sexual exploitation material, police said.

As a result of the investigation, arrest warrants were obtained charging Powell with 12 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Powell is in custody at the Iredell County Detention Center, where he is held under a $250,000 bond.

The Statesville Police Department expressed its appreciation for the assistance of the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation in this investigation.