Haywood County Man Faces Multiple Child Sexual Assault Charges

Haywood County -- December 1, 2023: On Thursday a man from Canton was taken into custody, charges of sexual assault on a minor.

The 35-year-old Tyler James Ponder was charged with four charges of committing indecent liberties with a kid and four counts of felony statutory sexual crime with a child by an adult.

The Haywood County Sheriff's Office Press Release: On Thursday, November 30, 2023, Haywood County deputies from the Criminal Suppression Unit located and arrested Tyler James Ponder, 35, of Canton, North Carolina on the following indictments:

4 Counts of Felony Statutory Sexual Offense with a Child by an Adult
4 Four Counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with a Child
This multi-agency investigation included detectives from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency, Kids Advocacy Resource Effort (K.A.R.E.), North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, and United States Homeland Security Investigations.
Ponder is currently being held in the Haywood County Detention Center under a $2,000,0000 secured bond.
Sheriff Wilke said, “Our office will continue to suppress crime and bring perpetrators before a court of law affording all due process. We will be vigilant to protect our county and its citizens, especially our children."

In our system of Justice, persons charged with crimes are presumed to be innocent unless and until they are found guilty in a court of law.

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