Former Deputy Sheriff Sentenced for Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

NEW BERN, N.C. – A U.S. Federal Judge sentenced a former deputy sheriff from Harnett County Sheriff’s Office to 23 years followed by 15 years of supervised release, and $10,000 in restitution, for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

“This defendant disgraced his badge and betrayed the community he swore to protect,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Law enforcement officers who engage in crimes of child exploitation are no different that the predators they should be stopping. Our office will zealously pursue those who fuel the demand for child sexual abused material, no matter their title or position.”

“Those who are sworn to uphold the law and protect our communities carry a profound responsibility,” said Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant who also oversees North and South Carolina. “When that responsibility is violated in such a horrific manner, it erodes public trust and inflicts irreparable harm. HSI is committed to working alongside our partners to hold these offenders accountable and safeguard the vulnerable.”

“The North Carolina SBI is working around the clock with our local and federal partners to investigate and eliminate child sex exploitation in North Carolina. It is especially alarming when a law enforcement officer is charged with violating the laws they have sworn to uphold.  The NC SBI remains committed to protecting children and families from sexual predators wherever and whoever they may be,” said Chip Hawley, NC SBI Director.

“I want to thank the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security for their dedication and professionalism throughout this investigation and prosecution. Their joint efforts helped assist in our mission to keep Harnett County safe and ensure justice is served,” said Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, working with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, investigated Johnathan A. Edwards, 37.  In October 2023, investigators discovered that Edwards had sexually exploited children on the website Omegle while investigating allegations that he had sexually harassed a Harnett County Detention Center inmate. In Edwards’s Google account, investigators found videos showing Edwards video-chatting minor children on Omegle and encouraging them to undress and sexually abuse themselves, often after the children disclosed that they were 13 or 14 years old. In November 2023, Omegle shut down following allegations that the website had failed to take any precautions to protect children.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charity Wilson and Erin Blondel prosecuted the case. The SBI, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-73-FL-BM.