Deputies arrested an Aberdeen man Thursday after investigators said they found alleged “illegal files” involving children during a search of his home on Sept. 25.
“The Moore County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of Special Agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Computer Crimes Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence on Sand Pit Road in Aberdeen, where forensic specialists uncovered multiple illegal files involving minor children,” reports Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields. “The investigation was initiated after the Sheriff’s Office received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”
Following the search warrant, Wayne Sands Sr., 61, of Aberdeen, was taken into custody.
Sands is facing five counts of felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of felony third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
He was committed to the Moore County Detention Center under a $125,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in Moore County District Court on Oct. 8. This investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges are expected.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are active participants in the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which works diligently to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
To sign up for the free Sandhills Sentinel breaking news and weekly e-newsletter, please click here.
Contributed by the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
