New Hanover County man pleads guilty to using app to download child porn

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A New Hanover County man has been sentenced to prison for more than 25 child sex crimes.

Charles Nelson pled guilty to 11 counts of 2nd-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and 16 counts of 3rd-degree sexual exploitation of a minor in New Hanover County Superior Court on Wednesday.

In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security was notified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that someone was using a Canadian-based app to download images and videos of child pornography. Working with New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation discovered that the internet address and account holder both led back to Nelson’s home in New Hanover County, where law enforcement found child pornography on three of Nelson’s electronic devices, including images and videos of girls as young as four years old.

Nelson was sentenced to at least three years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender for 30 years upon his release.