WAYNE COUNTY, N.C. — A former Wayne County resident has been extradited back to North Carolina and is facing multiple felony charges following an investigation into suspected child sexual abuse material.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office obtained arrest warrants on May 27 for Steven Kenneth Lindsey, 26, charging him with four counts of Second-Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began after authorities received information from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and multiple CyberTip reports submitted through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Investigators used information provided through the CyberTips and law enforcement partners to identify Lindsey as a suspect.
During the investigation, authorities determined Lindsey was in possession of electronic material depicting child sexual exploitation.
After warrants were issued, Lindsey was arrested on May 29 in Baldwin County, Alabama, where he was living at the time. Investigators said Lindsey was a resident of Wayne County when the investigation began.
Lindsey was extradited to Wayne County on June 18 and remains in the Wayne County Detention Center under a $1.2 million secured bond.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office credited several agencies for assisting with the investigation, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama, and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
The Sheriff’s Office noted that it is a member of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (NC ICAC) Task Force, a nationwide network dedicated to protecting children from online exploitation and identifying individuals who use the internet and digital technologies to victimize children.
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