CHARLOTTE — A former church pastor from Granite Falls, Ashley James Crouse, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material, as announced by the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Crouse, 53, was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term. The sentencing came after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led law enforcement to discover that Crouse had uploaded videos containing child sexual abuse material to a Dropbox account in April 2023.
Law enforcement identified Crouse as the Dropbox user and executed a search warrant at his home and church on Nov. 3, 2023.
During the search, they seized a computer tower, an iPad, and two thumb drives from New Vision Baptist Fellowship and his office. Crouse admitted to downloading and collecting child pornography for five to six years and confessed to viewing the material at the church while conducting church business.
A forensic examination revealed that Crouse possessed over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Investigators also found that Crouse maintained a book detailing how to sexually abuse children and used anti-forensic software to delete files. He pleaded guilty to charges involving minors under 12 on Aug. 21, 2024.
Crouse remains in federal custody and will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. The specific federal prison where he will serve his sentence has not yet been designated.
VIDEO: 15-year-old Kannapolis girl rescued from sex abuser in Illinois, sheriff says
©2025 Cox Media Group
