Pastor Ashley Crouse, 53, was sentenced to 120 months in prison on February 13, 2025. Pastor Crouse was the senior pastor of New Vision Baptist Fellowship church in Caldwell County, NC. Follow Charlotte Alerts on Instagram.
In April 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children referred a tip to law enforcement that a Dropbox account user had uploaded videos containing child pornography.
Law enforcement determined that the Dropbox user was Pastor Crouse. On November 3, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Pastor Crouse’s residence and the church.
From Pastor Crouse’s office at the church, detectives seized a computer tower, an iPad, and two thumb drives.
Pastor Crouse admitted to law enforcement officers that he had been downloading and collecting child pornography for five to six years and that he viewed child pornography at the church while multi tasking and completing church business.
The investigation determined that Pastor Crouse routinely used his computer at the church to access, view, and download child sexual abuse material.
A forensic examination of Pastor Crouse’s church computer and other digital devices revealed that the pastor shared child pornography and links to child pornography through the Telegram application and that he had used AI and a software program to make child and other pornography.
In total, Pastor Crouse possessed over 1,200 videos and 450 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Also on the church computer, investigators found that Pastor Crouse maintained a book that outlines in detail how to sexually abuse children.
The forensic examiner further found evidence that Pastor Crouse had installed an anti-forensic software program on his church computer which he used to permanently delete files and folders.
On August 21, 2024, Pastor Crouse pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography that involved a minor who had not attained the age of 12 years, and receipt of child pornography.
On February 13, 2025 the pastor was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material.
Pastor Crouse was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
Pastor Crouse remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
