Kinston man charged with statutory rape following Snapchat cyber tip
A 20-year-old Kinston man was arrested May 7 following an investigation into the alleged online solicitation of minors through Snapchat, according to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.
Ashton French, 20, of Kinston, was arrested in Kinston by the Craven County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Kinston Police Department.
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation began in December 2025 after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children involving the alleged online solicitation of a minor for sex on Snapchat.
Investigators allege French used Snapchat to engage in sexual communications and the production of sexually explicit content involving more than a dozen minors, some as young as 12, in North Carolina and other states. Authorities also allege French sent explicit sexual content of himself to multiple minors.
The sheriff’s office said French allegedly solicited multiple minors across Eastern North Carolina for sex and, in some instances, traveled to their homes to engage in sexual acts.
In Craven County, investigators identified a girl who was 13 when French allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with her, according to the release.
French is charged in Craven County with statutory rape and statutory sex offense. He is being held in the Craven County Confinement Facility under no bond.
The investigation remains ongoing, and investigators said they are working to identify additional minors.
“The Craven County Sheriff’s Office remains determined to apprehend individuals who sexually exploit or engage in sexual activity with minors,” Sheriff Chip Hughes said in the release.
