Tabor City man charged with child exploitation after SBI search

TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) — A Tabor City man has been arrested on child exploitation charges following a multi-agency investigation, authorities said.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant Tuesday on Mill Branch Church Road.

Authorities said the operation stemmed from multiple CyberTips reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The SBI said Dusty Paul Matthews, 37, was taken into custody after investigators seized multiple items of evidence. He is charged with five counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Matthews is being held without bond at the Columbus County Detention Center and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday morning.