ROCKINGHAM — An investigation by local and state law enforcement led to the Tuesday morning arrest of a man on child pornography charges.
According to the Rockingham Police Department, the investigation started from a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
On Jan. 27, RPD investigators — with help from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit — reportedly executed a search warrant at the Farmstead Court home of 26-year-old James Kevin West Jr.
Police say West is charged with four counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
At the time of writing, only one warrant was available in online court records.
The warrant alleges that West duplicated material containing a visual representation of an unknown minor female — estimated to be 10-12 years old — engaged in sexual activity with an unknown man.
West was booked into the Richmond County Jail where he is being held on a $250,000 secured bond. His first appearance in court was shortly after his arrest and his next court date is scheduled for Feb. 12.
Police say the case is still under investigation and additional charges are pending.
The Rockingham Police Department is an active participant of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, according to a release.
West appears to have no other pending charges or prior convictions in North Carolina.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
