A tip from a national child-safety organization has landed a 29-year-old Huntersville man in the Iredell County Detention Center, charged with a felony after investigators say they found digital files depicting child sexual abuse tied to his social media account. Luke Joseph Stasky, of Chapel Grove Crossing Drive, was arrested last Wednesday and now faces one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, with detectives saying the case is far from finished.
The investigation began on September 2, when the Iredell County Sheriff's Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to Iredell Free News. Sheriff Darren Campbell said the case was assigned to Special Victims Unit Detective E. Lane, who obtained search warrants for Stasky's social media accounts as part of the probe.
What Investigators Say They Found
According to a news release cited by the outlet, Detective Lane determined that Stasky had uploaded digital files containing child sexual abuse material to a social media account. WHKY reported that evidence showed Stasky had uploaded the digital items depicting child sexual abuse to that account, a finding that formed the basis for the felony charge investigators ultimately filed against him.
Stasky was arrested last Wednesday, September 16, and charged with one count of felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center, where Magistrate Thompson issued a $100,000 secured bond, the same report notes.
More Charges Could Still Be Coming
Campbell said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges are pending further investigation, though officials have not detailed what those charges might involve or when a decision could come. Case files on the specifics of the search warrant results beyond the reported findings have not been made public.
Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have driven similar cases elsewhere in North Carolina in recent months. In Sanford, Jay J. Poulos, 52, was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff's Office working alongside the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and charged with 20 counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to ABC11. That investigation was likewise sparked by information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Poulos is being held under a $250,000 secured bond, the outlet reported.
No court date, plea, or additional details about Stasky's case have been released, and it is not publicly known whether he remains in custody beyond the initial bond order. The Iredell County Sheriff's Office has not identified a defense attorney or released any response from Stasky regarding the charge.
