A man from Canton is facing a series of charges related to child sex offenses in a case involving both the State Bureau of Investigations and United States Homeland Security Investigations.
Tyler James Ponder, aged 35, was apprehended on Thursday, November 30, by deputies from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Suppression Unit. Ponder faces four charges of felony statutory sexual offense with a child by an adult and four counts of indecent liberties with a child, as detailed in a press release from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office.
This arrest marks the culmination of a collaborative investigation involving the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Haywood County Health and Human Services, KARE, the N.C. SBI, and United States Homeland Security Investigations. Ponder is presently detained at the Haywood County Detention Center, held on a $2 million bond.
Sheriff Bill Wilke of Haywood County stated, “Our office remains committed to combating crime and ensuring that offenders face the legal process with all due rights. We are steadfast in our efforts to safeguard our county and its inhabitants, particularly our children.”
