A 22-year-old Statesville man is sitting in the Forsyth County jail with no bond after investigators say he communicated online with underage girls and, in one case, arranged to meet a 14-year-old for sex. Jaleel Miller was arrested by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office on Monday and now faces a second batch of charges out of Union County, where authorities say the alleged misconduct continued into September.
Two Counties, Overlapping Allegations
According to the Union County Sheriff's Office, Miller was first identified as a suspect after an investigation into online communications with underage girls, with detectives gathering additional information and evidence that led to his arrest. As reported by WBTV, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office took Miller into custody on Oct. 26, and an arrest warrant alleges he raped a 14-year-old child in Forsyth County in February.
The exact charge count out of Forsyth County is unclear, because the two outlets that obtained warrant information reported different tallies. WBTV reported three counts of statutory rape of a child younger than 15, three counts of indecent liberties with a child, and two counts of statutory sexual offense with a child under 15. MyFOX8 reported a different breakdown, writing that Forsyth County charged him with two counts of soliciting a child by computer, one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of indecent liberties, and five counts of statutory rape or sex offense with a child 15 or under, according to MyFOX8. Despite the discrepancy, both outlets agree Miller was booked into the Forsyth County jail and given no bond.
Union County Adds Three More Charges
Four days later, on Friday, the Union County Sheriff's Office announced its own charges against Miller: solicitation of a child by computer, indecent liberties with a child, and second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. That office said Miller was allegedly talking to underage girls online in September, a separate timeframe from the February Forsyth County allegation. MyFOX8's reporting on the Forsyth warrants states that Miller used Snapchat to communicate with a 14-year-old girl and arrange a location to meet for sex in February 2026.
Detectives said Miller could potentially be linked to other cases involving children, and investigations into those possible connections remain active. Additional charges may be brought through the agencies involved, per the Union County Sheriff's Office, which credited the Invictus Task Force, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Statesville Police Department for working together on the case.
Part of a Statewide Surge in Reports
The case lands amid a documented spike in online child exploitation reports statewide. Reports of online exploitation of children in North Carolina increased by 1,115% since 2019, according to State Bureau of Investigation data cited by WRAL. The SBI received 12,169 CyberTips in just the first three months of 2026, the outlet reported, up from an average of 411 CyberTips a year in 2019 to 4,382 in 2025.
To keep pace, the SBI has 18 sworn investigators dedicated to internet crimes against children, supported by five intelligence analysts, per WRAL's reporting. The state also received roughly $800,000 in federal ICAC funding in 2025, up from about $450,000 in 2016, the same report noted.
A Separate Forsyth County Case Shows the Pattern
Miller's arrest is not connected to it, but a separate Forsyth County investigation illustrates how these cases are unfolding across the region. An investigation sparked by a cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the arrests of two people in Forsyth County on child sexual exploitation charges, according to ABC45. In that case, the Invictus Task Force identified Sebastian Carter Everhart as a suspect after opening an investigation tied to a February 2026 cybertip, and on April 23 investigators executed a search warrant and charged him with 10 felony counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Howard Dewayne Everhart was also taken into custody that day and charged with 10 felony counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. ABC45 reported that investigation remained ongoing.
Law enforcement agencies involved in the Miller case say they are continuing to work together toward protecting youth as the investigation develops. No further details on Miller's custody status or any upcoming court proceedings have been released.
